SCOTLAND

Departmental Internet

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the cost of the recent redesign of the Scotland Office's website was.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office and the Office of the Advocate-General jointly tendered for the redevelopment of both their websites. We went through a competitive tendering process following the principles of Government procurement. The cost for both websites was £12,880 plus VAT.
	The redevelopment of the sites includes a comprehensive in-house content management system which represents considerable value for money and costs savings for both offices, both now and in the future.

Departmental Internet

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the cost was of updating the official portraits on his Department's website during its recent update.

Ann McKechin: The portraits used on the new website were taken from existing photography.

Departmental Training

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many  (a) staff and  (b) Ministerial away days have been organised by his Department in each of the last five years; and what the cost of such events was in each year.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office held one staff away day in 2005-06 and one in 2006-07. Information on the costs prior to 2006-07 are not separately identifiable; however, in 2006-07 the total cost of the staff away day was £6,834. No ministerial away days have been held in the last five years.

Departmental Travel

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what travel  (a) he and  (b) the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Scotland undertook in respect of attendance at the Scottish Labour Party conference on 7 and 8 April 2009.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office did not make any travel arrangements for either the Secretary of State or the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State regarding their attendance at the Scottish Labour Party Conference.

TRANSPORT

Aviation: Safety

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the Air Accident Investigation Branch's interim report of 13 March 2009 on the incident at Heathrow Airport on 17 January 2008, when he expects the modifications to the Rolls Royce Trent 800 engine to prevent critical power loss due to ice crystals to be made to all aircraft with that engine operating from the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Boeing and Rolls Royce are already working to develop appropriate modifications to the B777 aircraft and the Fuel Oil Heat Exchanger on the Rolls Royce Trent 800 engine. Once the modifications have been developed they will need to be approved by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The Civil Aviation Authority will then ensure that UK airlines make the modifications within the timescale set by EASA.
	Since the accident at Heathrow in January 2008 Boeing has developed a range of changes to the aircrafts operating procedures to ensure that aircraft crews can minimise and manage any risk associated with potential ice accumulation in the fuel system. These procedures have been approved by EASA and the US Federal Aviation Administration (US FAA) and have been made mandatory for all US and European airlines. Both EASA and the US FAA are content that, subject to the application of these procedures, B777 aircraft with Rolls Royce Trent engines are safe to remain in service. When a Delta Airlines Boeing 777 experienced an uncommanded power reduction in a single engine on 26 November 2008 the procedures were shown to be effective and thrust control of the engine was recovered.

Departmental Detergents

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to ensure that no cleaning products or ingredients of cleaning products used by his Department have been tested on animals.

Geoff Hoon: The Department for Transport is a federated organisation comprising a central Department and seven Executive agencies and does not procure cleaning products or ingredients centrally. All procurement within the Department is undertaken in line with the European Union's procurement rules and to obtain value for money.

Departmental Public Appointments

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which former  (a) hon. Members who left Parliament since 1997 and  (b) Members of the House of Lords from each party have been appointed to positions on public bodies within his Department's responsibility; and who made each appointment.

Geoff Hoon: holding answer 26 March 2009
	This information is not held centrally. Information on board membership is published in individual bodies' annual reports and accounts.

Departmental Training

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what training courses  (a) civil servants and  (b) Ministers in his Department have undertaken in the last 12 months.

Geoff Hoon: Employees of the central Department and its agencies undertook the following internally available training during the last 12 months:
	Absence Management
	Accountancy
	Assessment Centre Training
	Customer Service
	Data Protection
	Diversity Awareness
	Avoiding Harassment and Bullying
	Driving Examiner Assessment
	Coaching
	Emergency Officer Training
	Coastguard Training
	Employment Law
	Communication—Oral and Written Skills
	European Union Training
	Coping with Traumatic Incidents
	Finance and Audit
	Health and Safety
	Programme and Project Management
	Impact Assessment
	Recruitment and Selection Interviewing
	Induction for New Entrants
	Risk Assessment Training
	Information Technology
	Stress Management
	Interviewee Skills
	Talent Management
	Language Courses
	Telephone Skills
	Leadership Skills
	Traffic Officer Service Training
	Manual Handling Training
	Transport Security Officer Training
	Marine Vessel Inspection
	Vehicle Safety and Inspection
	Marine Search and Rescue
	Mentoring
	Parliamentary Process
	Performance Management
	Personal Development
	Personal Effectiveness
	Pre-Retirement Courses
	Procurement
	Professional Qualifications
	Training with external companies is also available to Department for Transport employees, pending line manager approval. Details of external training is available only at disproportionate cost.
	With regards to ministerial training, I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 28 October 2008,  Official Report, column 835W, and 3 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1125W.

M1: Speed Limits

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to introduce variable speed limits on the M1 motorway; what the timescale for introduction of such limits is; on which stretches of the motorway it is planned to introduce them; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: It is proposed that variable mandatory speed limits will be introduced on certain sections of the M1 motorway. The following table provides detail of the proposed stretches and the expected implementation dates.
	
		
			  M1 section/scheme  Implementation of variable mandatory speed limit 
			 M1 J6A-10 2009-10 
			 M1 J10-13 2013-14 
			 M1 J25-28 2010-11 
			 M1 J28-31 2014-15 
			 M1 J32-35a 2012-13 
			 M1 J39-42 2014-15 
		
	
	The purpose of implementing variable mandatory speed limits (VMSL) is to improve the throughput during congested periods, smooth the flow of traffic, improve driver information, reduce secondary accidents and improve journey time reliability.

Motor Vehicles

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 9 March 2009,  Official Report, column 12W, on motor vehicles, if he will publish the results of the research from the recent comparison of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency vehicle register and motor insurance database when it is available.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Yes. The information will be placed in the Libraries of the House when available.

Motorcycles: Driving Instruction

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many motorcyclists took a second or subsequent Compulsory Basic Training course in each month since April 2007.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport's agencies do not record how many motorcyclists take a second or subsequent compulsory basic training course.

Motorcycles: Driving Tests

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many candidates took the practical motorcycle driving test in each month since October 2008.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  Month  Candidates 
			 October 2008 7,898 
			 November 2008 7,475 
			 December 2008 5,484 
			 January 2009 4,850 
			 February 2009 5,367

Park and Ride Schemes: Bridlington

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the public expenditure requirement arising from construction and implementation of the proposed Bridlington park and ride scheme.

Paul Clark: The estimated cost of the construction and implementation of the Bridlington Integrated Transport Plan, including the Park and Ride element, is £6,318,380 of which the Department for Transport will provide £5,428,799.
	I understand that East Riding of Yorkshire council are anticipating that the service will make an operating profit.

Railways: Freight

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department's policy is on the positioning of rail freight interchanges on motorways; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: holding answer 26 March 2009
	The Strategic Rail Authority document, "Strategic Rail Freight Interchange Policy", published March 2004, states that rail freight interchanges should have
	"high quality links to the motorway and trunk road network".
	This document is still the basis for the Department for Transport's policy on rail freight interchanges.

Railways: Freight

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport where he has discussed the proposed Kent International Gateway development with Kent Highways; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: holding answer 26 March 2009
	Officials in the Highways Agency have discussed the proposed Kent International Gateway development with Kent Highways (part of Kent county council) at regular liaison meetings held at the agency's office in Dorking, at Maidstone borough council's offices in Maidstone and at the offices of Maidstone borough council's technical advisers Jacobs in London.

Roads: Construction

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to ensure that future Design, Build, Finance and Operate contracts do not include incentives to increase traffic flows as a means of increasing revenue for the successful bidder.

Paul Clark: holding answer 26 March 2009
	The shadow toll payment mechanism, which involved a usage element, has not been used on Design, Build, Finance and Operate (DBFO) schemes since 1996, when the first eight Highways Agency DBFO contracts were awarded. Details of the payment mechanisms in the DBFO contracts let after 1996 can be found on the Highways Agency website at:
	http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/2992.aspx
	The M25 DBFO project includes incentives for lane availability, to maintain the road to an appropriate standard and to maintain and improve journey time reliability.

Roads: Construction

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what threshold of penalty points above which a contract may be cancelled was set for each Design, Build, Finance and Operate contract let by his Department since 1997; how many penalty points have been accrued against each such contract to date; and how many such contracts have been terminated as a result of the threshold having been breached.

Paul Clark: holding answer 26 March 2009
	The Highways Agency have let three Design, Build, Finance and Operate contracts since 1997, they are the A1 Darrington to Dishforth (A1DD), A249 Stockbury to Sheerness and the A13 Thames Gateway project which has been transferred to Transport for London.
	The penalty point threshold for the A1 Darrington to Dishforth and A249 Stockbury to Sheerness Design, Build, Finance and Operate contracts is 100 penalty points or more in any one year. This leads to the Highways Agency having several options, one of which is termination of the contract.
	The number of penalty points accrued against each contract to date is:
	
		
			   Penalty points 
			 A1DD 32 
			 A249 69 
		
	
	No contracts have been terminated as the thresholds giving rise to the option to terminate have never been exceeded.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Digital Technology

Andrew Miller: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what proposals the House of Commons Commission has considered in respect of in relation to the use of digital technology to encourage wider public involvement in  (a) the work of select committees and  (b) the legislative process; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: The House has increasingly used digital technology to encourage wider public involvement in the work of Parliament. Select committees have built on the web pages that each has on:
	www.parliament.uk
	and use new interactive tools to access views and opinions from a much broader audience. Since May 2007 the Parliament Web Centre has set up and managed 14 web forums (eConsultations) on behalf of select or joint committees. Outside organisations and individuals can now not only follow and learn about committee activity online, but can also submit their evidence digitally and watch the committee hearings as they happen or archived on:
	www.parliamentlive.tv
	Forums have been particularly successful in increasing the level of engagement. Their use has been consistently encouraged by the Liaison Committee, most recently in its report on the Work of Committees in 2007-08 (HC 291) at para. 105.
	In terms of the legislative process, enhancements to online bills and related information have significantly improved access to the legislative process for the wider public:
	http://services.parliament.uk/bills
	Further improvements later this year will include bill texts showing amendments made in Committee. Work is continuing on clause-by-clause indexing of bills and on simultaneous presentation of explanatory notes with bill text. We will also soon launch explanatory content on the passage of a bill through Parliament.
	The Web Centre has also used Twitter and Flickr as channels which can engage with people about the work of Parliament. UK Parliament now has more than 4,000 followers on Twitter and 100,000 visitors to Flickr who can follow the work of committees as well as the progress of legislation. Further proposals for the use of social media and networks to engage people with the work of Parliament and its committees are also being considered.

Disability Discrimination Act 1995

Tom Brake: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission whether buildings occupied by the House and its staff are subject to the provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

Nick Harvey: Section 65(1) of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 makes provision in relation to the application of the Act to the House of Commons, further qualified by section 21B. The interpretation of these sections is a matter for the courts. The House seeks to apply the principles of the DDA and much has been done around the estate to improve accessibility and facilities for people with disabilities.

Members: Allowances

Christopher Chope: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission on what date the annual totals for hon. and right hon. Members' allowances for 2007-08 will be published.

Nick Harvey: On 30 March at around 2 pm. The information will be available via a link from the home page at:
	www.parliament.uk

Parking: Disabled

Tom Brake: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many disabled parking spaces on the House Estate are available for the use of visiting members of the public.

Nick Harvey: We do not have designated car parking spaces for visiting members of the public or non-pass holders, because of security concerns and pressure on space on the estate. The Serjeant at Arms Office is sometimes able to make special arrangements for parking by disabled visitors, if the limited number of slots provided for Members and staff with mobility problems are not all in use (for example on non-sitting days or during parliamentary recess). In such cases, special arrangements for security search are made. If parking on the estate cannot be provided, disabled parking spaces are available in the nearby NCP car park at Abingdon road (opposite the Black Rod Garden entrance to the estate).

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Foreign Workers

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received on the availability of sheep shearers from non-EU countries in summer 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: DEFRA has received a limited number of inquiries regarding the availability of sheep shearers from non-EU countries for summer 2009.
	I am aware that the visa requirements for bringing in sheep shearers from outside the EU have changed following the introduction of tier 2 of the points based system for economic migrants in 2008. As a result of the introduction of tier 2, sheep shearers who are not visa nationals now have to apply for entry clearance prior to travel, even where they are coming to the UK for less than six months. The industry has made representations concerning compliance with these requirements, but we are not aware that the new entry requirements are so far causing any problems in terms of a lack of shearers leading to animal health and welfare issues. However, we will continue to monitor the situation.
	Immigration requirements do recognise the current need to employ workers for this purpose from overseas and to expedite procedures for their admission. On the advice of the Migration Advisory Committee, sheep shearers have been added to the UK Border Agency's list of occupations of which there is a shortage and, as a result, sponsors of such workers from overseas are not required to demonstrate that they have sought to fill such vacancies with a resident worker.

Agriculture: Pollution Control

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's policy on minimising pollution from arable farms.

Jane Kennedy: Under the Nitrate Pollution Prevention Regulations 2008, farmers in areas of the country designated as nitrate-vulnerable zones (NVZs) have to comply with a set of mandatory rules regarding the use and management of manure and nitrogen fertiliser for the purpose of reducing water pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources. The Department has established a project to evaluate the effectiveness of these regulations at tackling nitrate pollution. The evaluation of the effectiveness of the original set of NVZ rules (established by regulations in 1998) is available on the DEFRA website at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/water/quality/nitrate/pdf/consultation-supportdocs/g3-nit18-report.pdf
	In addition, within DEFRA's agri-environment schemes—Environmental Stewardship and the predecessor schemes Countryside Stewardship and Environmentally Sensitive Areas—funding is available for environmental management which will contribute to improving water quality, including, for instance, the use of buffer strips, and the management of maize crops on arable land. Other options in Environmental Stewardship, such as beetle banks and under sown spring cereals, may also contribute to reducing diffuse pollution. In 2010 it is currently planned to introduce further resource protection options into Environmental Stewardship, such as wider buffer strips and the use of cover crops. These schemes are subject to regular evaluations.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was paid in export refunds for dairy products in each of the last five years.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 25 March 2009
	The amount paid in export refunds for milk and milk products in each of the last five years can be found in the following table:
	
		
			  Date  Milk and milk products  (£) 
			 2004 66,924,534.65 
			 2005 46,310,869.15 
			 2006 19,400,665.96 
			 2007 6,332,908.51 
			 2008 0

Agriculture: Working Hours

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make an assessment of the likely effects of the implementation of the European Working Time Directive on the numbers of seasonal workers required by farmers to assist them with harvesting.

Jane Kennedy: The Working Time Directive has been implemented since 1998 and we are not aware that it has had any noticeable impact on the requirements of the agricultural industry for seasonal workers.
	Revisions to the Working Time Directive are currently being negotiated in Europe. In these discussions, the UK Government are strongly supporting retention of the individual's right to opt-out of the 48-hour working week, an important flexibility used by workers in many sectors, including agriculture. We, along with many other member states, believe that workers should have the right to work longer hours if they choose to do so and have pressed this point successfully to Council during the negotiations.

Animals: Circuses

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made on his Department's study of the use of animals in circuses.

Jane Kennedy: During the last 12 months DEFRA has been carrying out a feasibility study on whether it is necessary to regulate the use of non-domesticated animals in circuses. A report is due later in the spring.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 23 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 44-46W, on bovine tuberculosis, for how many head of cattle he has budgeted for compensation payments for reactors and contact animals in 2009-10.

Jane Kennedy: We do not estimate compensation spend solely on the basis of head of cattle since spend is demand led and much will depend on the disease situation and prevailing cattle prices (since compensation payments are linked to market prices). The estimate of £23 million provided in the answer of 23 March 2009,  Official  Report, columns 44-46W, is based on what was spent in previous years and the spending pattern in the current year (forecast spend for 2008-09, net of receipts, is £25.7 million). The estimate includes payments to cattle-owners and haulage costs, and was offset by salvage receipts.

Compost

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what research he has commissioned on the potential health effects of composting;
	(2)  if he will make an assessment of the potential health effects of composting.

Jane Kennedy: DEFRA has commissioned the following research:
	Review of environmental and health effects of waste management: municipal solid waste and similar wastes (carried out by Enviros Consulting Ltd and the University of Birmingham, 2004)
	Exposure-response relationships for bioaerosol emissions from waste treatment processes (WR0606, carried out by the Institute of Occupational Medicine, 2008), which is currently undergoing peer review.
	The Environment Agency has also undertaken the following research on the health effects of composting:
	Health effects of composting: a study of three compost sites and review of past data (carried out by AEA Technology, 2001)
	Monitoring the environmental impact of waste composting plants (2001)
	The Health and Safety Executive has undertaken the following research:
	Occupational and environmental exposure to bio-aerosols from composts and health effects (carried out by The Composting Association and Health and Safety Laboratory, 2003)
	Where appropriate, this completed research is incorporated into existing regulation and policy in relation to composting. There are at present no plans to carry out further research, although this will be kept under review.

Domestic Waste: Recycling

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether an organisation collecting household recycling in one local authority area is able to sell those recycling credits to another local authority which is not meeting its recycling targets.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 23 March 2009
	Local authorities have a power (not a duty) to pay recycling credits to third parties. These credits are payments in respect of waste for recycling or reuse which would otherwise have been dealt with by the local authority. Local authorities are expected to have in place controls that, among other things, ensure that the credits claimed relate to waste collected in their area.

Domestic Waste: Recycling

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what proportion of local authorities he expects will meet the target of 40 per cent. recycling and composting of household waste by 2010.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer  24 March 2009
	The target of 40 per cent. recycling and composting of household waste by 2010 is a national target set out in the Waste Strategy for England 2007. This will be achieved by combining the recycling and composting rates of all local authorities in England.
	Local authorities that face practical barriers, such as serving large numbers of apartment blocks or multi-occupancy houses, should not necessarily be expected to achieve the same level of recycling as those whose areas are dominated by traditional housing stock.
	Under the National Indicators method of monitoring local authority performance, introduced by CLG in April 2008, each local authority chooses 35 indicators to be improvement targets. Of the 68 local authorities (out of a total of 394) that have chosen NI192 (recycling and composting rate) as a target, 35 have set the level at 40 per cent. or higher.
	The latest audited data available show that the proportion of household waste recycled in England in 2007-08 was 34.5 per cent., an increase of 3.6 per cent. over the 2006-07 figure.

Food Supply

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what method his Department uses to calculate the level of  (a) domestic self-sufficiency in food production and  (b) domestic food consumption; and what the level of each was in each of the last 20 years.

Jane Kennedy: Self-Sufficiency in food is calculated as UK food production, adjusted for trade in agricultural inputs of feed, seed and livestock, as a proportion of UK food consumption. The measure is based on the farm-gate value of unprocessed food.
	The formula used is:
	
		
			  [Self-Sufficiency]= 
			 [Adjusted UK food production] 
			 [UK food production] + [Food imports]—[Food exports] 
		
	
	A related measure is the proportion of UK Consumption Produced in the UK, which is calculated as food produced and consumed in the UK as a proportion of UK food consumption. As with the measure of self-sufficiency this is based on the farm-gate value of unprocessed food.
	The formula used is:
	
		
			  [Proportion of UK Consumption Produced in the UK]= 
			 [UK food production]—[Food exports] 
			 [UK food production] + [Food imports]—[Food exports] 
		
	
	Both the calculations for Self-Sufficiency and the Proportion of UK Consumption Produced in the UK use the same data sources. Food production data are sourced from DEFRA's UK agricultural accounts. Import and export data are provided by HMRC. Revaluation factors are applied to trade data to convert the value of processed goods back to the farm-gate value of their raw ingredients, and these are constructed from ONS input-output tables.
	The two calculations are similar but have two important differences. The main difference is that Self-Sufficiency includes food that the UK exports, which could have been consumed, whereas the Proportion of UK Consumption Produced in the UK looks purely at the breakdown of food that the UK does actually consume. A further, much smaller difference is the adjustment made to UK food production in the Self Sufficiency calculation.
	
		
			  UK self sufficiency in food and proportion of UK consumption produced in the UK 
			  Percentage 
			   Self-sufficiency in all food  Self-sufficiency in indigenous food  Proportion of UK consumption produced in  the UK 
			 1988 71.1 82.6 66.3 
			 1989 74.8 86.9 66.8 
			 1990 73.6 85.0 66.2 
			 1991 75.3 86.7 66.5 
			 1992 73.9 85.1 64.2 
			 1993 73.5 85.4 63.3 
			 1994 73.5 86.1 62.7 
			 1995 73.8 86.7 61.8 
			 1996 70.0 83.2 59.9 
			 1997 68.2 81.6 57.5 
			 1998 67.3 81.5 55.7 
			 1999 67.6 81.6 56.6 
			 2000 66.8 80.3 56.3 
			 2001 62.7 75.1 55.6 
			 2002 62.5 75.5 53.8 
			 2003 63.6 76.7 53.3 
			 2004 62.5 75.1 53.2 
			 2005 60.1 73.1 50.6 
			 2006 59.0 72.0 48.9 
			 2007 59.4 72.4 49.7 
			 2008 (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 (1) 2008 figures not available yet. 2008 Self-Sufficiency figures to be published online in Agriculture in the UK on 26 March 2009.

Food Supply

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will bring forward a programme of measures to ensure security of supply of  (a) food and  (b) water resources for the UK during the period 2010 to 2030.

Jane Kennedy: DEFRA published a discussion paper in July last year entitled "Ensuring UK Food Security in a Changing World". This has contributed to the debate on the long-term challenges to our food security such as climate change, increased demand and population growth, and the energy dependence of our food supply. The Government are taking a risk-based approach to ensuring we remain food secure in the UK, and is consulting on indicators to provide timely information about the key components of our food security.
	This work is proceeding with efforts that DEFRA is leading jointly with the Department of Health and the Food Standards Agency to define a vision for a sustainable food system. This vision will complement the work of the foresight study led by the Government's chief scientific adviser to examine how our inter-dependent world can feed nine billion people sustainably, healthily and equitably by 2050.
	The Government have introduced a requirement on the water companies in England and Wales to prepare water resources management plans. These plans will show the measures needed to ensure secure water supplies for the period 2010-35. The plans have been consulted upon in draft; statements of responses to the consultation have been published for all English companies. In light of the statements, Ministers will consider the need for hearings or inquiries, and whether or not to direct changes to plans before they are finalised.

Food: Exports

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the amount of domestic  (a) meat,  (b) eggs,  (c) bread,  (d) wheat,  (e) fruit,  (f) vegetables,  (g) milk and  (h) total food production that was exported in each year since 1997.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 19 March 2009
	 Estimates of the volume of exports for meat, eggs, bread, wheat, fruit, vegetables and milk are shown in table 1.
	Exports of food, animal feed and alcoholic drinks are shown in table 2. These are presented in £ million, in real terms at 2007 prices. All figures other than bread are published in "Agriculture in the United Kingdom".
	The figures shown may include re-exports of imported produce.
	
		
			  Table 1: UK exports of various commodities 
			  Figures in thousand tonnes except milk in million litres and eggs in million dozens 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Meat 614 641 580 523 280 400 443 474 481 499 574 
			 Liquid drinking milk 85 156 203 156 63 67 193 251 485 512 423 
			 Eggs 26 27 12 15 10 16 16 13 13 18 17 
			 Wheat 3,720 4,208 2,853 3,672 1,626 1,625 3,778 2,293 2,466 2,116 1,912 
			 Fruit 72 69 74 60 74 70 79 106 121 178 148 
			 Vegetables 280 77 91 99 103 113 103 93 88 83 88 
			 Bread 61 61 63 69 85 72 58 69 63 65 86 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: UK exports of food, animal feed and alcoholic drinks in real terms at 2007 prices 
			   £ million 
			 1997 12,891 
			 1998 11,664 
			 1999 11,092 
			 2000 10,557 
			 2001 10,140 
			 2002 10,453 
			 2003 11,260 
			 2004 10,736 
			 2005 10,698 
			 2006 10,955 
			 2007 11,379

Food: Prices

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average UK farm-gate price for  (a) milling wheat,  (b) milk and milk products,  (c) beef and veal,  (d) pigmeat,  (e) lamb and  (f) apples was in each of the last 10 years; what import tariff was charged on imports of each product from each region or supporting country in each such year; and what information his Department holds on average world market prices for each product in each such year.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 23 March 2009
	Average UK farm-gate prices for milling wheat and milk are shown in the following table. UK farm-gate prices of milk products are not available, so wholesale prices have been provided instead.
	
		
			   Milling wheat  (£ per tonne)  Milk  (Pence per litre)  Butter (unsalted) (£ per tonne)  SMP  (£ per tonne)  Mild Cheddar (£ per tonne)  Mature Cheddar  (£ per tonne)  Bulk cream  (£ per tonne) 
			 1999 81 18.3 — — — — — 
			 2000 74 16.9 1,942 1,707 2,102 2,425 968 
			 2001 79 19.3 1,893 1,501 2,244 2,617 919 
			 2002 75 17.1 1,831 1,288 1,794 2,217 852 
			 2003 76 18.0 2,044 1,407 1,985 2,121 974 
			 2004 87 18.5 1,997 1,424 2,100 2,375 928 
			 2005 76 18.5 1,886 1,408 2,079 2,400 868 
			 2006 76 17.9 1,723 1,436 1,967 2,400 796 
			 2007 108 20.7 2,283 2,136 2,427 2,717 1,051 
			 2008 151 25.9 2,102 2,034 2,817 3,300 918 
			  Source:  HGCA, DEFRA statistics, RPA. 
		
	
	The average UK farm-gate prices for beef and veal, pig meat, mutton and lamb and apples can be found in the following table.
	
		
			   Beef and veal (Pence per kg dressed carcase weight)  Pig meat (Pence per kg dressed carcase weight)  Mutton and lamb (Pence per kg dressed carcase weight)  Dessert apples  (£ per tonne)  Culinary apples  (£ per tonne) 
			 1999 161 76 152 437 249 
			 2000 158 91 167 358 215 
			 2001 155 95 166 352 176 
			 2002 160 90 203 385 286 
			 2003 167 99 226 460 472 
			 2004 177 100 222 412 359 
			 2005 181 100 205 419 317 
			 2006 187 102 213 434 379 
			 2007 188 104 194 488 373 
			 2008 243 122 248 540 452 
			  Source:  AHDB, DEFRA Statistics and Agriculture in the United Kingdom https://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/publications/auk/default.asp 
		
	
	 Annual import tariffs
	Schedules of customs duties are published regularly by the EU Commission in the Official Journal of the EU. Average tariffs rates for high quality common wheat are shown in the following table. Equivalent rates for other commodities are not available.
	
		
			   High quality common wheat  (€ per tonne) 
			 1999 36.48 
			 2000 9.28 
			 2001 0 
			 2002 0 
			 2003 1.16 
			 2004 0 
			 2005 0 
			 2006 0 
			 2007 0 
			 2008 0 
			  Source:  Official Journal, EU Commission. 
		
	
	 World prices
	World market prices for wheat and milk products can be found in the following table.
	
		
			  US$ per tonne 
			   Milling wheat  Butter  SM P  WM P  Cheddar 
			 1999 117 — — — — 
			 2000 107 1,453 2,063 2,002 1,919 
			 2001 117 1,252 1,983 1,947 2,163 
			 2002 144 1,078 1,269 1,358 1,667 
			 2003 139 1,393 1,727 1,762 1,889 
			 2004 151 1,860 2,063 2,129 2,564 
			 2005 138 1,971 2,240 2,245 2,829 
			 2006 152 1,778 2,200 2,221 2,656 
			 2007 278 2,921 4,254 4,258 4,052 
			 2008 353 3,396 3,038 3,729 4,721 
			  Source:  International Grains Council, DIN consultancy, DairyCo. 
		
	
	Indicative world market prices for beef, lamb and pork are shown in the following table. Prices for apples are not available.
	
		
			  US cents per pound 
			   Beef, Australian and New Zealand 85 per cent. lean fores, FOB US import price  Swine (pork), 51-52 per cent. lean hogs, US price  Lamb, frozen carcass Smithfield London 
			 1999 83 44 116 
			 2000 88 59 113 
			 2001 97 61 130 
			 2002 95 47 146 
			 2003 90 53 160 
			 2004 114 71 166 
			 2005 119 68 161 
			 2006 116 64 154 
			 2007 118 64 162 
			 2008 121 65 171 
			  Source:  IMF.

Foot and Mouth Disease

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take legal action against those responsible for the 2007 foot and mouth outbreak.

Jane Kennedy: The Secretary of State will not be taking any legal action in relation to this matter. The 2007 foot and mouth outbreak was investigated by Surrey county council's trading standards service, and on 29 May 2008, the council announced that there was insufficient evidence to take legal action in respect of the outbreak.
	Until 28 April 2008, when the Health and Safety Executive took over the responsibility, Surrey county council was the authority responsible for investigating and enforcing possible offences under the Animal Health Act 1981, including the provisions of the Specified Animal Pathogens Order 1998 that applied to the operation of the two laboratories at Pirbright.

Foxes: Urban Areas

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent reports he has received of groups or individuals releasing foxes captured in urban areas into the countryside; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: From time-to-time DEFRA receives anecdotal reports of urban foxes being released into the countryside.
	The Government do not condone the translocation of foxes from urban to rural areas. While it is not illegal under wildlife legislation to move foxes from one place to another as long as the provisions of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 are complied with, there are welfare concerns with releasing foxes into areas unfamiliar to them and the potential to spread disease. Under section 9 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 it is an offence for a person to fail to provide for the welfare needs of an animal under his or her control. This includes failing to take reasonable steps to ensure that an animal has the ability to fend for itself in the wild on release. If it were found that an animal had suffered unnecessarily after release, it could also be an offence of causing unnecessary suffering under section 4 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
	If it is suspected that an illegal activity has occurred this should be reported to the police.

Milk: Prices

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the change in the average farmgate price for milk in each year since 1997.

Jane Kennedy: The average milk farm-gate price since 1997 can be found in the following table:
	
		
			   Farm - gate price (pence per litre) 
			 1997 21.96 
			 1998 19.26 
			 1999 18.31 
			 2000 16.92 
			 2001 19.25 
			 2002 17.05 
			 2003 18.01 
			 2004 18.45 
			 2005 18.46 
			 2006 17.94 
			 2007 20.66 
			 2008 25.91

Oils: Waste Disposal

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the effect on carbon dioxide emissions of the quantity of used cooking oil sent to landfill in the last 12 months.

Jane Kennedy: No such estimate has been made. The landfilling of all non-hazardous liquid waste has been banned since October 2007. Government policy is to encourage the recovery of all waste, including cooking oil.

Pigs

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of pig farmers who ceased to trade in 2007-08.

Jane Kennedy: The June Survey of Agriculture and Horticulture does not collect figures on the number of farmers who have ceased trading. Figures from the survey indicate activity on registered holdings in England at June each year showing net change only. Larger pig businesses are likely to have a number of holdings where pigs are kept and this number can change from year to year.
	
		
			   Specialist pig holdings (based on predominant activity)  All holdings with pigs  Total  p igs 
			 2007 2,453 9,686 3,943,444 
			 2008 2,600 9,772 3,854,388 
			  Source:  June Survey of Agriculture

Renewable Energy: Waste

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance his Department has issued to local authorities on the production of biogas from municipal waste; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: DEFRA has issued no specific guidance to local authorities on the production of biogas from municipal waste.

Trees: Disease Control

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent steps he has taken to prevent the spread of  (a) oak and  (b) rhododendron diseases; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: We recently announced the allocation of new money to support a five-year programme of work to manage and contain the risks of two plant diseases, Phytophthora ramorum and Phytophthora kernoviae, from spreading further. P. ramorum and P. kernoviae are fungus-like pathogens of plants. There is strong evidence that they both have the ability to kill trees in the UK, and have the potential to kill native heathland species and cause serious disease on some garden shrubs.
	In addition to further research and development and an education and awareness programme, we will be looking to reduce the level of disease by removing infected and susceptible plants in woodlands and the wider environment. We will also work to identify and control any new outbreaks. Experience has shown that the eradication of Rhododendron ponticum (the main host for the diseases) is the most effective control measure to reduce disease spread in the wider environment. At a selected number of woodland sites, the clearance of all rhododendrons, whether infected or not, has proved effective and appears to have prevented further infection of trees on those sites.

Waste Disposal: Rural Areas

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has for the future provision of mechanisms for the disposal of trade waste in rural areas; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: DEFRA funds the Business Resource Efficiency and Waste (BREW) Centre for local authorities to deliver a central support service to help them provide more tailored advice to their business communities on waste and resource efficiency issues. This includes rural authorities.
	The centre has created a network of over 850 local authority officers to help share experience in this area, and has developed over 100 good practice case studies and other guidance for local authorities. Specific business resource efficiency projects are being taken forward with selected local authorities and the lessons learned from these are being shared widely by the centre. This includes guidance notes for local authorities who are considering implementing a trade waste recycling service, available on the following website at:
	http://www.lga.gov.uk/lga/core/page.do?pageld=1213283# contents-9

WALES

Departmental Buildings

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what properties his Department has sold in each of the last five years.

Paul Murphy: The Wales Office has not sold any properties in the last five years.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether his Department has adopted the Carbon Trust's Carbon Management Programme.

Paul Murphy: My Department has not adopted the Carbon Trust's Carbon Management Programme.
	As a small Department we have taken full advantage of the Carbon Trust's small and medium sized Business Toolkit. This resulted in a full Carbon Trust survey and follow-up action plan in 2006. All action points raised have been implemented together with the introduction of a robust recycling programme.
	The Wales Office is currently establishing a sustainable development strategy to further assist in further reducing emissions.

Departmental Empty Property

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the change in the annual cost to his Department of maintaining the empty public buildings owned by his Department as a result of the April 2008 changes to empty property rate relief.

Paul Murphy: The Wales Office does not maintain or own any empty public buildings.

Departmental Energy

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps have been taken by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies to improve the thermal efficiency of their buildings in the last 12 months.

Paul Murphy: The Wales Office undertook an energy efficiency test in 2008 and reached a C grading.
	We continue to look for ways to improve the energy efficiency of the building, although we are limited in our ability due to the Grade 2 listing of the building.

Departmental Publications

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the  (a) production and printing and  (b) other costs to his Department of producing its most recent (i) departmental annual report and (ii) autumn performance report.

Paul Murphy: The Wales Office spent £14,170 on its last bilingual departmental annual report. We do not print an autumn performance report.

Departmental Recycling

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much and what proportion of its waste his Department recycled in each of the last five years.

Paul Murphy: The Wales Office began recording the volume of waste produced in April 2007 onwards. For the year 2007-08, 12,619 kg of waste was recycled, equating to 80 per cent. of the total waste produced. The figure for 2008-09 is not yet available.

Departmental Standards

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of measuring compliance with its targets under its public service agreements in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Paul Murphy: The Wales Office does not deliver services directly to the public and does not have a public service agreement.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Departmental Recycling

Robert Wilson: To ask the Leader of the House how much and what proportion of its waste her Office recycled in each of the last five years.

Chris Bryant: The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons joined the Cabinet Office in 2007. I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given by the Cabinet Office.
	It would not be possible to provide information prior to 2007 without incurring a disproportionate cost.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  who drafted the Guidance on the Termination of Pregnancy: The Law and Clinical Practice in Northern Ireland; which  (a) individuals and  (b) organisations were consulted prior to writing the Guidance; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  when the Guidance on the Termination of Pregnancy: The Law and Clinical Practice in Northern Ireland will come into force; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how many abortions were performed on women in Northern Ireland on the grounds that  (a) it was necessary to preserve the life of the woman and  (b) there was a risk of real and serious adverse effect on her physical or mental health, which was either long-term or permanent in each of the last five years, broken down by health authority;
	(4)  if he will include information on  (a) counselling and  (b) possible alternatives to abortion in the Guidance on the Termination of Pregnancy: The Law and Clinical Practice in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: This is not a matter for which my Department has responsibility. The law relating to the termination of pregnancy is part of the criminal law and as such is a matter currently reserved to the UK Parliament. However, the provision of health and social care services, including information or guidance of the sort to which the hon. Gentleman refers, is a devolved matter and is the responsibility of the Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety.

Bloody Sunday Tribunal of Inquiry

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the legal costs of the Saville Inquiry were in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Paul Goggins: The legal costs in relation to the Bloody Sunday Inquiry in each of the last 12 months for both the Inquiry and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) for which figures are available are shown in the following table. These costs cover payments to lawyers working for the Inquiry and to lawyers representing interested parties and witnesses before the Inquiry (including those funded by the MOD).
	
		
			  £ 
			  Month  Bloody Sunday Inquiry  MOD  legal costs  Total 
			  2008
			 April 171,435.67 22,193.64 193,629.31 
			 May 81,515.02 25,546.38 107,061.40 
			 June 19,401.90 11,453.90 30,855.80 
			 July 33,535.02 18,812.46 52,347.48 
			 August 71,483.39 21,714.48 93,197.87 
			 September 54,505.27 22,357.90 76,863.17 
			 October 21,486.03 27,883.93 49,369.96 
			 November 154,901.26 27,710.26 182,611.52 
			 December 19,863.63 19,554.37 39,418.00 
			 
			  2009
			 January 69,152.44 0.0 69,152.44 
			 February 346,444.93 0.0 346,444.93 
			 March(1) — — — 
			 Total 1,043,724.56 197,227.32 1,240,951.88 
			 (1) Final figure not yet available.

Departmental Flowers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent by his Department on flowers in the last 12 months.

Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) does not record expenditure under this heading. However, £28,412 was paid to florists and nurseries in 2007-08 (excluding agencies and executive NDPBs).
	Flowers are generally purchased as decoration when the NIO hosts official events such as receptions, for example for military personnel returning and ceremonies such as Royal Garden Parties honouring community and civic leaders. Where possible, the Department will make use of these items at more than one event.
	These figures also include flowers purchased for events which are held in Hillsborough Castle on behalf of other parties. Although the NIO does not charge these external customers directly for the cost of flowers, an administration charge is levied to cover sundry costs.

Departmental ICT

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 17 December 2008,  Official Report, column 773W, on departmental ICT, which ICT projects are over budget and by how much in each case.

Paul Goggins: There is one ICT project which is over budget.
	The Causeway Programme's original estimated cost was £42.7 million but it is estimated to be £58 million by 2013 when the contract is closed.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much capital spending is planned to be brought forward by his Department to  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10.

Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO), excluding its agencies and executive NDPBs, has made no plans to bring forward capital spending to 2008-09 or 2009-10.

Departmental Publications

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the  (a) production and printing and  (b) other costs to his Department of producing its most recent (i) departmental annual report and (ii) autumn performance report.

Shaun Woodward: The cost of production of the Autumn Performance Report for 2008 and the annual Departmental Report for 2007-08 would only relate to staff costs in respect of the drafting and compilation of the reports as part of normal business.
	The cost of the printing of:
	(i) the Annual Departmental Report for 2007-08 was £12,870; and
	(ii) the Autumn Performance Report for 2008 was £6,543.
	Printing costs are not available for the 2008-09 Departmental Report as it is not yet published.
	There were no other costs to my Department of producing these reports.

Forensic Science NI: Finance

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what budget was allocated to Forensic Science NI in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: Forensic Science NI is primarily funded to carry out its business from income it generates from its customers, with the remainder provided by the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) centrally.
	
		
			  £000 
			  NIO funding  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Customer income 7,369 8,182 8,429 9,090 9,373 
			 NIO Resource DEL 1,217 1,446 1,437 1,927 1,535 
			 Total 8,586 9,628 9,866 11,017 10,908 
			 NIO Capital DEL 381 371 1,260 1,524 1,343 
			  Note: Customers include PSNI, State Pathologist's Department, Police Ombudsman, Private customers etc. 
		
	
	The agency in 2008-09 had £10,908,000 resource and £1,343,000 capital in monies to fund activities.

Police Service of Northern Ireland: Recruitment

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people from each religious background  (a) applied and  (b) were appointed to join the police in Northern Ireland in recruitment competitions in 2008.

Paul Goggins: That is an operational matter for the Chief Constable. I have asked him to reply directly to the hon. Member, and a copy of his letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Prisons: Mobile Phones

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether prisoners in Northern Ireland are permitted to have and use mobile telephones within prisons.

Paul Goggins: Prisoners in Northern Ireland are not permitted to have and use mobile telephones within prisons.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Brussels

David Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many visits were made by Ministers to Brussels, other than on NATO business, in the financial year 2007-08.

Caroline Flint: During the financial year 2007-2008 our Ministers made a total of 149 visits to Brussels. These visits included both ministerial visits to our bi-lateral embassy in Brussels and the UK representation to the EU.

Commonwealth

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Commonwealth counterparts on the future of the Commonwealth.

Gillian Merron: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office ministerial team engage regularly on Commonwealth issues including meeting Commonwealth counterparts. On 4 March 2009, I attended the latest Commonwealth Ministers Action Group Meeting. This year the modern Commonwealth is celebrating its 60th anniversary and has achieved a tremendous amount over the last 60 years. The UK is committed to ensuring the Commonwealth and every international organisation is forward looking and best able to deal with the challenges of the 21(st) century.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Armed Conflict

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what military involvement the United Nations has had in co-ordination with Congolese and Rwandan troops during their joint operation against the Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 19 March 2009
	During the operations against the Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda (FDLR) militia, UN peace keepers contributed logistical support to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) army and assisted members of the FDLR in disarming and returning to Rwanda. The UN mission in the DRC (MONUC) made a team of military officers available to assist in planning the operations. Although the operations bore some successes, MONUC was less fully involved than we would have wished in planning and carrying them out. Our ambassador in Kinshasa called for co-ordination of the operations with MONUC, both publicly and in consultation with the DRC Government. We made clear our position that the operations should take proper account of humanitarian law and civilian protection.

Departmental Buildings

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what buildings are owned or operated by his Department under a private finance initiative (PFI) arrangement; and which companies are involved with each such PFI arrangement.

Gillian Merron: The only Foreign and Commonwealth Office building which we occupy under a private finance initiative arrangement is the building of our embassy in Berlin. The building is owned and operated by Arteos, a company owned by Semperian PPP Investment Partners.

Departmental ICT

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the initial estimated  (a) cost and  (b) delivery date for each ICT project initiated by his Department was for systems serving departmental processes in the UK that cost more than £1 million in each year since 2003-04; what the (i) outturn cost and (ii) completion date was of each project subsequently completed; which contractors were hired for each project; and how much has been paid to each contractor in respect of each project.

Gillian Merron: Until recently, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) devolved responsibility for expenditure on ICT systems to individual directorates. As a consequence there is no central historical record of the information requested, and a comprehensive reply could be provided only at disproportionate cost. This does not, however, apply to larger projects costing in excess of £2 million. The following table sets out the information requested for such projects initiated since April 2003. Most FCO systems are designed to operate both in the UK and at Posts overseas; all those listed in the following table, with the exception of disaster recovery, serve FCO staff around the world.
	
		
			  Project  Original completion date  Latest forecast or actual completion date  Original total cost   (£ million)  Latest total cost   (£ million)  Contractor  Contract value   (£ million) 
			 Unclassified video conferencing August 2009 August 2009 3.08 2.68 Multiple n/a 
			 Prism management information phase 1 (including later requirements changes) April 2009 November 2009 3.57 3.76 CapGemini 2.96 
			 Disaster Recovery (increased capacity to achieve full Resilience) March 2009 July 2009 1.50 2.47 Cable and Wireless (GSI) 1.93 
			 Bridge (formerly FEDIS) phase 1— emergency passports(including latest requirements) December 2009 March 2010 4.44 6.00 Logica/FCO services n/a 
			 Prism simplification January 2009 April 2009 6.59 6.20 CapGemini 3.92 
			 Ocean (telecommunications procurement) May 2010 November 2009 7.60 7.60 Various/OG C/internal n/a 
			 Secure video conferencing March 2008 December 2008 2.49 2.13 Multiple/FCO services n/a 
			 Managed reporting service January 2008 March 2009 2.50 2.31 HP/FCO services n/a 
			 Post infrastructure improvement September 2008 September 2008 3.17 3.20 Various n/a 
			 FCONet 3 (development) June 2007 March 2008 3.50 3.52 Fujitsu (1)— 
			 Global collaboration March 2008 March 2008 3.60 3.60 Various/internal n/a 
			 FCO web platform (scope reduced on examination of full business case) November 2008 December 2008 13.50 9.74 Logica 6.12 
			 Future firecrest programme February 2012 February 2012 401.00 401.00 Hewlett Packard 216.80 
			 FCONet 2 October 2005 November 2005 3.80 3.80 Fujitsu 2.08 
			 EDRM (eRecords/ iRecords) (scope reduced due to financial constraints) March 2010 August 2008 26.50 5.10 Internal/FCO services n/a 
			 Biometric passports programme (BRIT) October 2006 October 2006 4.00 4.00 3M 6.50 
			 (1) Not separately identifiable from existing record.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his latest estimate is of his Department's capital expenditure in  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10,  (c) 2010-11 and  (d) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: In 2008-09 capital expenditure is forecast to be £219 million net.
	The net comprehensive spending round (CSR) capital allocation for 2009-10 is £216 million.
	The net CSR capital allocation for 2010-11 is £205 million.
	An estimate for expenditure in 2011-12 is not yet available.

Departmental Training

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 26 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1793W, on training, what the cost was of his training in  (a) the presentation of foreign policy and  (b) his Department's IT systems.

Gillian Merron: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 2 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 1240-44W.

Falkland Islands: Crimes of Violence

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what records he holds on the number of violent crimes that have taken place in the Falkland Islands in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: I understand from the Royal Falkland Islands Police that the number of violent crimes over the last five years in the Falkland Islands was:
	Murder: none
	Attempted murder: none
	Manslaughter: none
	Attempted rape: none
	Robbery: none
	Cases of assault occasioning actual bodily harm or common assault: 20 in total—three in 2004, six in 2005, four in 2006, four in 2007 and three in 2008
	Rape: two in total—one in 2005 and one in 2007
	Grievous bodily harm: five in total—three in 2005, one in 2006 and one in 2008.

G20

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps have been taken in the preparations for the G20 meeting in north London in April to  (a) ensure the sustainable use of resources and  (b) to minimise the carbon footprint of the meeting.

Gillian Merron: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has employed an event production company, Feltech/MRG. The company has adopted an environmental policy that meets Government guidelines set out in the Green Claims code in their provision of the required conference and media facilities. The venue, ExCeL London, is one of the participants in the implementation programme for BS8901:2007, a British standard for sustainable events that helps minimise the environmental impact of events such as the G20 Summit.
	Feltech/MRG will produce a report recording the measures taken to reduce the carbon footprint of the summit. We are also developing a carbon management approach with the Department of Energy and Climate Change and have commissioned a report on the carbon impact of the G20 Summit to be available within 60 days of the event.

International Criminal Court

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the US administration on  (a) the International Criminal Court (ICC) citation of President al-Bashir of Sudan and  (b) US participation in the ICC.

Gillian Merron: We have had extensive discussions with all levels of the US administration on the situation in Darfur, including the International Criminal Court (ICC) indictment of President Bashir for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the region.
	Most recent contacts have focused on the need for the Government of Sudan to reconsider their decision to expel 13 international humanitarian non-governmental organisations working in Darfur. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed these issues with US Secretary of State Clinton during his visit to Washington on 18 March 2009. We continue to underline in all contacts the need for Sudan to cooperate with the ICC, as well as to take concrete action for peace in Darfur.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not had any discussions with the US about their membership of the ICC. The Government work with EU partners towards achieving universality of the Rome Statute of the ICC, and we look forward to discussing this issue with the new US administration.

Iran: Diplomatic Service

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 23 March 2009,  Official Report, column 29W, on Iran, in what ways the Iranian authorities have obstructed the activities of staff at the British Embassy in Tehran; what activities have been obstructed; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The Iranian authorities have obstructed the activities of our embassy in Tehran in numerous ways, including: by placing restrictions on vehicle access to the embassy compounds for embassy staff and visitors, harassing embassy staff, guests, and contractors carrying out work on our compounds (including security work recommended by the Iranian authorities), and failing to provide airside access for the collection of diplomatic bags.
	Additionally the British Council was forced to suspend its operation in Iran earlier this year, because of unacceptable pressure put on its staff by the Iranian Government.
	We have raised these issues with the Iranian authorities on numerous occasions and reminded them of their obligations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

Iran: Nuclear Power

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the Statement during the Prime Minister's address to the US Congress that Iran should cease its threats and suspend its nuclear programme, what steps the Government are taking to secure this objective.

Bill Rammell: The Government remain committed to the E3+3 dual-track strategy—of pressure and engagement—to address the Iran nuclear issue. On the engagement aide, the US has been clear about its desire for a relationship based on "mutual respect" as President Obama made clear in a message to the Iranian people on 19 March 2009. The E3+3's generous offer of June 2008 remains on the table, which offers Iran a wide range of political and economic benefits, together with all it would need to develop and operate a civilian nuclear programme. On the pressure side, the UN Security Council has agreed five resolutions on the issue, three of which put in place sanctions against Iran. The EU has gone beyond these to put in place further measures. We have been clear that if Iran chooses not to accept the US and E3+3 offers, further, tough measures will follow.

Members: Correspondence

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Northavon of 15 December 2008 sent on behalf of Mr. R Jenkins of Tytherington, South Gloucestershire.

Gillian Merron: The hon. Member for Northavon's letter was replied to on 20 March 2009.

Members: Correspondence

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Northavon of 19 December 2008 sent on behalf of M Taylor of Chipping Sodbury.

Gillian Merron: The hon. Member for Northavon's letter was replied to on 20 March 2009.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Stephen Ladyman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations HM Ambassador in Tehran has made to the Iranian Government on its role in supporting Hamas during the recent Gaza conflict.

Bill Rammell: Our ambassador in Tehran raised the issue of Iranian support for Hamas at a meeting at the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 12 January 2009. Our embassy also translated my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's House of Commons statement on Gaza into Farsi, circulated it to journalists and placed it on the embassy's Farsi language website.
	The UK would like to see Iran making a positive contribution to creating a secure, stable and prosperous Middle East. But its current behaviour is a cause for serious concern for us and others. Iran needs to work with the international community and its regional neighbours to restore confidence in its intentions.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he  (a) has taken and  (b) plans to take steps at the United Nations with regard to the ambush and murder of two police officers in Israel on 15 March; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The UK condemns the murder of the two police officers. This incident has reinforced the urgent need for lasting peace in the Middle East. We remain committed to a two-state solution and to achieving a comprehensive peace and shall continue to work closely with the parties, with the Quartet of the UN, EU, US, and Russia, and with regional partners to make progress in 2009.

Middle East: Mass Media

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of media in Arab countries on extremist Islamic movements in the UK.

Bill Rammell: While no formal study has been undertaken into the possible effects of reporting in the Arabic media on extremist Islamic groups in the UK, it is possible that some stories in the Arabic media may indeed serve to reinforce such groups' beliefs. However, we have no evidence to suggest that patterns of media consumption of extremist groups are particularly distinctive, and we believe that they are just as likely to focus on stories in British or other media which reinforce their beliefs.
	Media in Arab countries are wide-ranging and many different viewpoints are expressed. The consumption of Arabic media therefore will not necessarily reinforce extremist views. We recognise that the Arabic media represent one of the best ways to communicate to the Arabic-speaking world, both in the Middle East and elsewhere, and for that reason we have Arabic language spokespersons based in London and the Gulf where they play an important role in articulating our policies to this crucial audience.
	Additionally, as part of our Prevent communications strategy, we constantly monitor the Arabic media and respond to articles that give an inaccurate picture of Government policy or life in the UK for British Muslims.

New Delhi

David Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many visits were made by Ministers to New Delhi in the financial year 2007-08.

Bill Rammell: Government Ministers made 12 official visits to New Delhi in the financial year 2007-2008.

Regional Ministers: Travel

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Permanent Secretary of his Department has authorised expenditure on travel costs for the Parliamentary assistants to  (a) the Minister for Yorkshire and the Humber and  (b) the Minister for the East Midlands in accordance with the circumstances envisaged in the Cabinet Secretary's letter to Permanent Secretaries of 2 December 2008.

Gillian Merron: No.

Sudan: Travel Information

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's advice on travel to Sudan is; and what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on travel to the Sudan.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 26 March 2009
	Our travel advice is constantly being updated to reflect the current situation in Sudan.
	The latest travel advice for Sudan which was last updated on 16 March 2009 is available online at:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travelling-and-living-overseas/travel-advice-by-country/sub-saharan-africa/sudanl
	There have been no recent discussions with my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on travel to Sudan.

Terrorism: Crime Prevention

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was spent on delivery of the CONTEST programme overseas in each financial year since 2006-07; how much has been allocated for such expenditure in  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11; which (i) projects and (ii) organisations received money under the programme in each year since 2006-07; how much each received; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) contribution to CONTEST overseas in 2006-07 and 2007-08 was £7.2 million and £8.9 million respectively. The FCO has allocated a further £127 million over the current comprehensive spending review, which includes £35 million in 2008-2009, £39 million in 2009-2010 and £53 million in 2010-11.
	Projects that aim to improve capabilities to counter terrorism in priority countries are allocated funding. In order to protect the safety and security of organisations delivering sensitive projects overseas we do not routinely name projects or organisations that have received funding.

Terrorism: Crime Prevention

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what procedures he has put in place to ensure  (a) financial audit and  (b) value for money in expenditure made as part of the CONTEST programme overseas.

Bill Rammell: All projects are managed by our officials in our embassies overseas. Our embassies are routinely audited by our internal audit team.
	All proposals for project funding undergo a rigorous assessment process to ensure that each project provides good value for money. Projects are also evaluated on completion, during which further consideration is given to whether the project offered good value for money. The impact of projects is carefully monitored through a process agreed with my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit and the National Audit Office.

United Nations: Reform

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations the Government has made to the Secretary-General of the UN on reform of the UN.

Bill Rammell: We are in constant contact with the Secretariat, including the UN Secretary-General, over UN reform. In December 2008 we achieved good results in the UN's 5(th) committee where we agreed a number of reforms foreshadowed in the 2005 World Summit. These included reform of the UN's human resources management (streamlining the UN's contractual system, and improving conditions of field staff in the hardest missions to help tackle staffing problems), reform of the Department of Political Affairs to improve the UN's capacity in the field of preventive diplomacy and mediation, modernising the UN's outdated IT system, and reforming the system of internal appeals for UN staff to make it more accountable and efficient.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan: Overseas Aid

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's humanitarian aid to Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) has responded swiftly to the humanitarian situation through capable operational agencies, particularly the World Food Programme (WFP). Since January 2008, we have committed £22.5 million to alleviate food shortages. This includes:
	(a) £17 million to help feed over 4.5 million people; and
	(b) £5.5 million to provide agricultural input including seeds, fertilisers, technical assistance to boost food production, and credit.
	The food security situation remains fragile. However, the WFP has delivered over 96 per cent. of the 36,000MT of food designated for target beneficiaries, and has recently assessed that there is sufficient food in place to stabilise supply until the harvest period.

Central African Republic: Overseas Aid

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the reasons are for the change in his Department's  (a) bilateral expenditure on and  (b) imputed multilateral shares for the Central African Republic between 2006-07 and 2007-08.

Ivan Lewis: Between 2006-07 and 2007-08, the Department for International Development (DFID) bilateral spend reduced because this period saw an increased donor interest in the Central African Republic (CAR), and a corresponding reduction in UK burdenshare.
	DFID provides core contributions to the general budgets of multilateral organisations and cannot then track the funds directly to individual countries. DFID uses the figures reported by multilateral institutions to the OECD's Development Assistance Committee (DAC) to provide an estimate of what proportion of DFID's core contributions are spent in each country. The multilateral institutions themselves determine which countries should receive an allocation from their funds in any given year, and the size of any allocation. The UK's imputed share of multilateral official development assistance (ODA) accordingly reflects increases or decreases in the allocation by multilateral institutions to each country in the years in question.

Central African Republic: Overseas Aid

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when he next expects an allocation from his Department's regional programme for aid to be made to the country programme for the Central African Republic.

Ivan Lewis: The allocation for 2009-10 has been made. In addition to the Department for International Development's (DFID) imputed multilateral share, an envelope of up to £2 million will be available for the Central African Republic during the coming financial year, from the Department's wider regional humanitarian programme.

Departmental ICT

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will place in the Library a copy of the joint DFID/WB scoping study prepared for his Department by Roger Wilson in August 2007.

Ivan Lewis: The report 'Proposal for a UK/DFID-World Bank Governance Partnership Facility' prepared by Roger Wilson and Sarwar Lateef in August 2007 will be placed in the Library of the House.

Departmental Manpower

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 9 March 2009,  Official Report, column 17W, on departmental personnel, if he will place in the Library a copy of  (a) the terms of reference for his Department's recruitment of an interim human resources manager via Penna Interim,  (b) the contract between his Department and Penna Interim,  (c) the contract of employment between the appointee and Penna Interim and  (d) the list of the appointee's primary responsibilities and the duties for the human resources manager; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: (a) A copy of the terms of reference for the recruitment of the Interim HR Director, will be placed in the Library.
	 (b) The contract between DFID and Penna Interim is regarded as commercial in confidence. As such it is not appropriate to place a copy in the Library.
	 (c) The contract that existed between the appointee and Penna Interim is a matter for the two parties involved.
	 (d) The duties of the DFID HR Director will also be placed in the Library.

Departmental Manpower

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the  (a) dates of employment,  (b) total days worked,  (c) salary,  (d) daily rate and  (e) other costs of employment for Roger Wilson in respect of his employment by the Department to prepare the joint DFID/WB scoping study were.

Ivan Lewis: Roger Wilson was not an employee of the Department for International Development (DFID) when he undertook work on the project titled "Joint DFID/WB Scoping Study". The total contract award value was £21,965. DFID cannot comment on salary and other employment costs because Mr. Wilson was not an employee of the Department.

Departmental Manpower

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development on what dates Roger Wilson  (a) joined and  (b) left the service of his Department as a direct employee; and what payments the Department has made to him for (i) consultancy and (ii) other work since he ceased to be a direct employee.

Ivan Lewis: Roger Wilson joined the Department for International Development (at that time known as the Ministry of Overseas Development) on 1 June 1976 and left the service of the Department as a direct employee on 6 August 2006. Since that date he has been paid a total of £55,700 in consultancy fees.

Departmental Official Engagements

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his official engagements on 23 February 2009 were; and by what  (a) route and  (b) method he travelled between each engagement.

Michael Foster: On 23 February 2009 the Secretary of State for International Development attended the Cabinet Away-Day in Southampton in the morning and did a regional visit on behalf of the Department for International Development (DFID) in the afternoon. He took the train from London to Southampton and returned to London by train from Reading. He travelled between engagements by Government car.

Departmental Public Appointments

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which former  (a) Members of the House of Lords and  (b) hon. Members who left Parliament since 1997 have been appointed to public bodies for which his Department is responsible; and who made each such appointment.

Ivan Lewis: No former members of the House of Lords or hon. Members who left Parliament since 1997 have been appointed to public bodies for which my Department is responsible.

Departmental Training

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 2 February 2009,  Official Report, column 861W, on departmental training, which Ministers attended the public communications course; and how much the course cost to provide.

Michael Foster: Identifying Ministers who undertake training may discourage participation in future training sessions, acting as a disincentive for Ministers to undertake formal professional development. The total cost of the public communications course was £4,050.

Developing Countries: Debts

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the Government's policy is on the establishment of a new sovereign debt work-out mechanism to deal with the debts of poor countries.

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
	The UK has been at the forefront of international delivery of debt relief. The heavily indebted poor countries initiative and the multilateral debt relief initiative provide comprehensive debt relief for the poorest, most heavily indebted countries. 34 countries are currently receiving debt relief; of which 24 have received irrevocable debt cancellation, including 100 per cent. cancellation of debts to the UK and international financial institutions.
	In addition, any country that experiences debt problems can also approach the Paris Club. This informal group of 19 sovereign creditors, including the UK, finds co-ordinated and sustainable solutions to sovereign debt problems.
	In relation to proposals for a wider sovereign debt work-out mechanism, the Government supported earlier work by the International Monetary Fund to investigate the establishment of a sovereign debt resolution mechanism, although international consensus was not reached on the establishment of such a mechanism.

Overseas Aid: Malaria

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development from which budget the allocation of £2 million for the prevention of the spread of malaria announced on 12 March 2009 will be drawn; whether the funding is additional to that allocated for the provision of 20 million bed nets; to which programmes that funding will be allocated; and how that funding will be distributed.

Ivan Lewis: The funding to meet this commitment will come from the budget available for development programmes in Africa at the Department for International Development (DFID). The funding is additional to that allocated for the additional 20 million bed nets.
	This additional funding will be spent in Kenya and Tanzania and be used to support malaria prevention activities in those two countries. Officials are currently working on the detail of what the resources will support and how the funding will be distributed.

Overseas Aid: Water

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of progress towards reaching Millennium Development Goal 7, target 3, for drinking water and sanitation; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Foster: The latest assessment on the progress of Millennium Development Goal 7, target 3 was made by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) Joint Monitoring Programme in July 2008. Their report is available on-line at:
	http://www.wssinfo.org/en/welcome.html

Sierra Leone: Education

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department is providing to support education in Sierra Leone in 2008-09; and how much of this has been allocated for the construction of new school buildings.

Ivan Lewis: During 2008-09 the Department for International Development (DFID) provided £750,000 directly to education in Sierra Leone in support of a national Teacher Verification and School Census programme. DFID also contributed £10 million in Poverty Reduction Budget Support to the Government of Sierra Leone, 15 per cent. of which is attributed to the education sector.
	DFID's support to the construction of new school buildings has been through our contribution to the Fast Track Initiative Catalytic Fund for Sierra Leone. Between 2008 and 2010, $5.9 million was allocated by this fund for school rehabilitation and construction. In addition, the UK's core contributions to the World Bank, UN and Africa Development Bank have contributed to the construction of 304 schools across the country in that time.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Cabinet Sub-committee on Families, Children and Young People

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families for what reasons it is his policy not to disclose information relating to proceedings of the Cabinet Sub-committee on Families, Children and Young People; and when the Sub-committee last met.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees, including when, how often and for how long they meet, is generally not disclosed; as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much has been claimed in reimbursable expenses by special advisers in his Department in 2008-09 to date.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Costs incurred on reimbursable expenses in 2008-09, will be available only when the Department's resource accounts are fully audited and laid before Parliament. This is expected to be before the 2009 summer recess.

Further Education: Finance

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills on using unspent capital allocations in that Department's budget for capital projects in the further education sector; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families is in ongoing contact with the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills about the use of the FE capital modernisation fund, which is administered by the Learning and Skills Council to support the improvement of college facilities. As it has always done, the Department will co-operate with the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills wherever possible to support the interests of learners in this country. We are discussing, with the LSC, ways of supporting additional capital building programmes in the FE sector. However, in the current spending review period, the Department's capital resources for strategic, targeted and devolved programmes for schools are fully committed.
	The Government's record on capital investment in the further education sector has been exemplary. In 1997 there was no capital budget for FE colleges; between 1997/98 and 2006/07, more than £2 billion was invested in modernising FE facilities and we will spend another £2.3 billion on the FE estate in the current spending review period.
	As the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills made clear in his statement on 4 March, there are 253 projects that have already received agreement in detail and are under way and we anticipate spending the full £2.3 billion in this spending review period.
	The Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills has asked the LSC to consult with the Association of Colleges and the FE sector on ways of prioritising schemes in the future programme. The Department will continue to work with DIUS and the LSC to bring the benefits of the capital modernisation programme to as many young people as possible.

Pupils: Offensive Weapons

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many students have been arrested for taking weapons into schools in  (a) England,  (b) the North East,  (c) Tees Valley district and  (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in each of the last 12 years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The information requested on arrests is not collected centrally. The data on arrests held by the Home Office cover arrests for recorded crime (notifiable offences) broken down at main offence group level, covering categories such as violence against the person and robbery; they would not show the number of people arrested specifically for taking weapons into schools. It is not possible to obtain the individual circumstances of persons arrested (such as student status) from the data on arrests held by the Home Office.

Pupils: Truancy

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many parents were  (a) fined and  (b) imprisoned in (i) England, (ii) Enfield local authority area and (iii) Enfield North constituency for their children's non-attendance at school in each of the last five years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Ministry of Justice collects data for England and Wales on prosecutions brought against parents under the Education Act 1996 for the offence under s444(1) of failing to secure their child's regular attendance at school; and for prosecutions under s444(1A), the aggravated offence of knowing that their child is failing to attend school regularly. It is possible, because of the way courts record data that some data are collected under the more general heading of various offences under the Education Act 1996.
	The information on the number of parents sentenced and given fines or immediate custodial sentences is detailed in the following table. However, the Ministry of Justice does not collect information on prosecutions on local authority or constituency basis so it is not possible to provide a breakdown for Enfield local authority or Enfield North.
	
		
			  Adults sentenced for child truanting offences( 1) , 2003-07 
			Fined  Immediate custody 
			 2003 Parent failing to secure their child's regular attendance at school 1,802 4 
			  Parent knowing that their child is failing to attend school regularly without reasonable justification to cause him or her to attend school 151 3 
			 
			 2004 Parent failing to secure their child's regular attendance at school 1,605 8 
			  Parent knowing that their child is failing to attend school regularly without reasonable justification to cause him or her to attend school 476 14 
			 
			 2005 Parent failing to secure their child's regular attendance at school 1,743 5 
			  Parent knowing that their child is failing to attend school regularly without reasonable justification to cause him or her to attend school 466 15 
			 
			 2006 Parent failing to secure their child's regular attendance at school 2,324 2 
			  Parent knowing that their child is failing to attend school regularly without reasonable justification to cause him or her to attend 628 20 
			 
			 2007 Parent failing to secure their child's regular attendance at school 3,112 6 
			  Parent knowing that their child is failing to attend school regularly without reasonable justification to cause him or her to attend school 676 11 
			 (1) These data are extracted on the principal offence basis These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.  Source: QMS Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	The Department also collects and publishes data on penalty notices (fines) issued by local authorities in England to parents for not ensuring their child's regular attendance at school.
	The figures for the last four school academic years since our data collection began are detailed in the following table. Data are only collected on a local authority basis and not for constituencies.
	
		
			  School academic year—penalty notices for non attendance 
			   England  Enfield 
			 1 September 2004 to 31 July 2005 3,483 4 
			 1 August 2005 to 1 September 2006 12,150 24 
			 2 September 2006 to 31 August 2007 14,625 37 
			 1 September 2007 to 31 August 2008 18,291 149 
			  Source: Department for Children, Schools and Families data March 2009

Religion: Curriculum

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the number of local authorities which permit the teaching of non-belief in schools as part of the religious education curriculum.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department does not collect systematic information on the number of local authorities which include the teaching of non-religious beliefs in schools as part of their religious education curriculum.

Special Educational Needs

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of pupils with statemented special educational needs resident in each local authority area attended special schools in  (a) 2003 and  (b) the last 12 months for which figures are available, broken down by type of special educational need.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Information about type of special educational need was first collected in 2004 and is therefore not available for 2003. A table containing the information requested for the years 2004 and 2008 has been placed in the House Libraries.

Special Educational Needs

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what powers a local authority has to place children with special needs into a special school that has attained trust status;
	(2)  what mechanism he plans to enable local authorities to place special needs children in special schools which have trust status.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Under section 324 (5) (b) of the Education Act 1996, all maintained schools, including special schools with trust status, are under a duty to admit children whose special educational needs (SEN) statements name the school as the one where the child is to be educated. Local authorities must consult the governing body of the school, and if the school is in the area of another authority, that authority, before naming the school. Children can only be admitted to a maintained special school if they have a statement which names that school, except in prescribed circumstances set out in section 316A of the Education Act 1996. These include admission for the purposes of an assessment, with the agreement of the local education authority, the head teacher, the parent and those from whom the local authority seeks advice for an assessment; where the child remains admitted to the special school following an assessment; or, with the agreement of the local education authority, the head teacher and the parent, following a change in circumstances.

Special Educational Needs

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many disabled children have been statemented in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: holding answer 27 March 2009
	Information on the number of disabled children who have been statemented in each of the last five years is not available.
	The available information on special educational needs, including information on the type of special educational needs, is published in Table 9 of Statistical First Release
	15/2008: Special Educational Needs in England: January 2008 which can be found at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000794/index.shtml
	Information for the previous year can be found at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000732/index.shtml
	Information for 2006 can be found at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000661/index.shtml
	Information for 2005 can be found at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000584/index.shtml
	and information for 2004 can be found at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000537/index.shtml

Video Games: Sales

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps  (a) his Department and  (b) trading standards have taken to prevent sales of video games to those under age.

Beverley Hughes: The Government accepted all the Byron Review recommendations, including working with Trading Standards Officers on assessing underage sales of video games. Investigating the issue was accepted as a priority by the Executive Board of the new UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) and the Council has taken steps to implement this work with local partners.
	This work forms part of the broader efforts to improve parents' and young people's understanding of video games and the associated risks, including a review of the classification system by the Department for Culture Media and Sport and a recently-established UKCCIS working group which will deliver the recommendations around online game safety recommendations made by the Byron Review.

World War II: Education

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether the Holocaust is included in the curriculum at primary school level; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The National Curriculum requires pupils aged between 11 and 14 to study the Holocaust and it remains a compulsory element of the history secondary curriculum. The Holocaust is not a requirement of the existing programmes of study for history for children in primary schools, but is sometimes addressed in the wider school curriculum. For example The Diary of Anne Frank may be included in the range of non-fiction texts studied in English.

INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS

Adult Advice and Careers Service: Finance

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the annual budgets for the proposed  (a) Adult Advice and Careers Service,  (b) National Employer Service and  (c) National Apprenticeship Service will be.

Si�n Simon: The Adult Advancement and Careers Service, National Employer Service and National Apprenticeship Service will be integral parts of the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) and will consequently be funded through the overall SFA budget. Details of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) annual budget are set out in the LSC grant letter 2009-10, located at
	www.lsc.gov.uk

Apprentices

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many and what percentage of apprentices completed their apprenticeships in the latest period for which figures are available.

Si�n Simon: The number of people completing an apprenticeship in England in 2007/08 was 112,600, the latest year for which fully audited figures are available. This is an increase from 39,000 in 2001/02.
	Completion rates are also at a record high, with 64 per cent. successfully completing an apprenticeship in England in 2007/08. This is an increase from 37 per cent. in 2004/05.

Apprentices

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much his Department spent on  (a) producing advertising copy and  (b) buying advertising space under the Make Things Happen apprenticeships advertising campaign.

Si�n Simon: The Learning and Skills Council has been responsible for promoting apprenticeships since it came into existence in April 2001. The Council's acting chief executive, Geoffrey Russell, will write to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy will be placed in the Libraries.

Departmental Buildings

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what buildings are owned or operated by his Department under a private finance initiative (PFI) arrangement; and which companies are involved with each such PFI arrangement.

Si�n Simon: The Department has no buildings subject to a PFI arrangement.

Departmental Lost Property

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills whether officials in his Department who have lost laptops that were the property of his Department in the last 12 months have been charged the full value of replacement.

Si�n Simon: Officials who have lost laptops that were the property of the Department in the last 12 months have not been charged the full value of replacement.

Departmental Public Appointments

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills which former  (a) Members of the House of Lords and  (b) hon. Members who left Parliament since 1997 have been appointed to public bodies for which his Department is responsible; and who made each such appointment.

Si�n Simon: This information is not held centrally. Information on board membership and remuneration is published in individual bodies' annual reports and accounts.

Education Maintenance Allowance

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment he has made of the merits of introducing  (a) late payment penalties and  (b) compensation to recipients for late payments of education maintenance allowances by the Learning and Skills Council.

Si�n Simon: The issue of late payment penalties is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who manage the contract for the delivery of the education maintenance allowance. Geoff Russell, the LSC's acting chief executive, will write to the hon. Member for Cambridge with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.
	There are no plans to pay compensation to learners whose payments may have been delayed. If learners have suffered hardship because of late EMA payments we would expect colleges to use the discretionary learner support funds to support them as these funds are designed to support learners in financial difficulties who may be in danger of dropping out of learning. All eligible learners who applied before the end of October 2008 will receive their EMA payments backdated to the start of their course.

Further Education

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what plans he has for the future role of post-16 specialist colleges in provision of education and training; and what mechanisms are in place for discussions between the Skills Funding Agency and local authorities acting as local commissioners.

Si�n Simon: Specialist colleges are, and will continue to be, an important part of the FE delivery landscape. The funding received by these colleges, which is currently provided by the Learning and Skills Council, will, from 2010 onwards, be provided through the Skills Funding Agency or local authorities.
	Under the new arrangements providers will have a single conversation with a dedicated Skills Funding Agency Account Manager about funding their adult education and training provision.
	For 16 to 19 education and training provision, local authorities will lead this conversation. Strategic priorities will be set by Regional Planning Groups whose membership will include: local authorities, the Regional Development Agency, Skills Funding Agency, Young People's Learning Agency and Government Office. This collaboration will inform, challenge, and question the alignment of 16 to 19 commissioning with skills and economic priorities.

Further Education: Finance

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills when he expects to receive the report by Andrew Foster on capital spending in further education.

Si�n Simon: We fully recognise the need to move forward quickly with the further education capital programme, and regret the need to delay decisions further. Sir Andrew Foster is currently working on his report, but we expect it to be published shortly.

Further Education: Finance

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what proportion of the cost of further education college rebuilding projects in England has been funded by  (a) the Learning and Skills Council and  (b) colleges themselves in each year since 1998.

Si�n Simon: Capital funding for further education colleges is administrated by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). As the information requested pertains to decisions and records held by the Council, Geoff Russell, the acting LSC chief executive will write to my hon. Member with the further information requested. A copy of his letter will be placed in the House Libraries.

Further Education: VAT

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much  (a) further education colleges and  (b) universities paid in value added tax (VAT) in 2007-08; and what estimate he has made of the savings each will accrue as a result of the reduction in the rate of VAT.

David Lammy: We do not collect data about the amount universities or further education colleges pay in value added tax. This is a matter for individual institutions. However, we have asked some of our key delivery partners to estimate the impact. The main benefit of the VAT reduction for universities and further education colleges will be to reduce the level of irrecoverable VAT they incur on the services they purchase. Using an estimate of the amount universities and further education colleges spend on services, our broad estimate is that this will save around 185 million over the 13 months of the VAT reduction. This is an estimate, which is not based on forecast VAT expenditure, so the amount of actual savings could vary significantly.

Higher Education: Research

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what recent steps he has taken to encourage universities to increase the volume of scientific research they undertake.

David Lammy: The Government seek to encourage excellent research, rather than volume for its own sake. Nevertheless, the volume of research staff submitted to the recent Research Assessment Exercise 2008 did increase by 12 per cent. relative to the previous exercise in 2001. 87 per cent. of this research was independently assessed to be internationally recognised, internationally excellent or world class. We therefore welcome this increase in excellent research.

Patents: Complaints

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many complaints  (a) the Patent Office and  (b) his Department have received on the (i) registration and (ii) administration of patents since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: The Intellectual Property Office (IPO), the operating name of The Patent Office, has records of complaints received since the year 2000. Records prior to that have not been retained. These records do not distinguish between registration and administration. Information on recent complaints received since 2006 is available on the IPO website at:
	http://www.ipo.gov.uk/about/feedback/feedback-previous.htm
	The numbers of complaints received in each financial year since 2000 are as follows:
	
		
			   Number of complaints  Including Box 49 
			 2000-01 46  
			 2001-02 19  
			 2002-03 28  
			 2003-04 53 16 
			 2004-05 35 8 
			 2005-06 23 10 
			 2006-07 28 6 
			 2007-08 25 11 
			 2008-09 (1)27 15 
			 (1 )To date. 
		
	
	Those complaints referred to as Box 49 were made direct to the chief executive through the IPO's formal complaints procedure.
	These figures include complaints received by the IPO's parent Department, currently the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, and before that the Department for Trade and Industry, and forwarded to the IPO for action. It is unlikely that any complaints made to the parent Department about patent registration or administration would not have been referred to the IPO.

Training: Mass Media

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what funding his Department has allocated for the provision of  (a) staff training and  (b) apprenticeship places in local news organisations in the last 12 months.

Si�n Simon: The Department has not allocated funding for training to staff or apprentices in local news organisations.

Vocational Training: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many businesses in  (a) Hemel Hempstead and  (b) Hertfordshire have signed the skills pledge.

Si�n Simon: The Skills Pledge is a voluntary, public commitment by employers to support their employees to develop their basic skills, including literacy and numeracy, and work towards relevant, valuable qualifications to at least Level 2 (equivalent to five good GCSEs).
	Since the launch of the Skills Pledge in June 2007 we have made excellent progress. The latest available figures up until December 2008 show that nine organisations in your Hemel Hempstead constituency and 97 organisations in Hertfordshire have made the Skills Pledge. Please note that these figures include both public and private organisations.

DEFENCE

Procurement Programmes

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of progress on major defence procurement programmes relating to future expeditionary capability.

Jeremy Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of progress on major defence procurement programmes relating to future expeditionary capability.

Quentin Davies: The Department is making significant progress on its procurement programmes for future expeditionary capability. Examples include the entry into service of two new C17 aircraft and the recent acceptance off contract of the first Type 45 destroyer.

Lutyens War Memorial: Bury

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the future of the Lutyens War Memorial in Bury; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: The Ministry of Defence officially commemorates the final resting place of all those who die in Service and the UK Government contribute close to 40 million each year towards the work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to mark and maintain the graves, and the official memorials for those who have no known grave, of some 1.7 million Commonwealth service personnel who died during the two world wars.
	However, the Department does not have the responsibility for war memorials. This responsibility rests with the owner of the memorial, which, in the case of the Lutyens War Memorial in Bury, is the trustees of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers Museum, an independent charity.

Helmand Province

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many rounds of ammunition were fired in the last six months by UK troops in Helmand province.

John Hutton: I am unable to provide the data for the last six months as information on ammunition expenditure is only collated at the end of each roulement. Data for the current roulement, HERRICK 9, will only be compiled once it comes to an end in April.

Counter-Narcotic Operations: Afghanistan

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assistance UK forces have provided to the government of Afghanistan's counter-narcotic operations; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: UK troops, as part of the International Security Assistance Force, support Afghan security forces to target narcotic traffickers and facilities that are supporting the insurgency. UK forces have also provided support to both the Poppy Eradication Force and the Governor-Led Eradication plan within Helmand province.

Persian Gulf

Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the capacity of the Royal Navy presence in the Persian Gulf to counter seaborne threats.

Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Preseli Pembrokeshire (Mr. Crabb).

Military Vehicles

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the suitability of the military vehicles used by British soldiers on patrol in Afghanistan.

John Hutton: The military vehicles used in the Afghan theatre, and elsewhere, are procured to meet requirements defined by the user. As such we will not hesitate to meet requests put to us by our operational commanders for any changes or upgrades to the equipment available to them.
	While it is not possible to make every vehicle invulnerable to every possible attack, much has already been achieved in enhancing the protected mobility options available to commanders on the ground through our continuing programme of making improvements to the protection level of vehicles in service and procurement of new vehicles types.

Service Accommodation

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of provision of service accommodation for armed forces personnel and their families; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: A condition survey has been carried out on Service Family Accommodation (SFA) in England and Wales as set out in my written ministerial statement on 17 March. This confirms that the vast majority of properties fall within the two highest standards for condition. The National Audit Office has recently assessed independently that SFA in the two highest standards for condition meet or exceed the Government's Decent Homes Standard. We recognise that some properties do not meet the high standards to which we aspireand that Service personnel and their families deserveand more needs to be done, but we are making progress even though we are having to make good decades of underinvestment.

Air Trooping Arrangements

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the capacity and reliability of air trooping arrangements.

John Hutton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave today to the hon. Members for North-West Cambridgeshire (Mr. Vara) and Wellingborough (Mr. Bone).

Afghanistan

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Afghanistan.

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his latest assessment is of the security situation in Afghanistan.

John Hutton: Progress has been made but the insurgency remains resilient. The majority of people can go about their daily lives but, in certain areas of the country, particularly in the south and east, significant security challenges remain.
	The Taliban have failed using conventional tactics and are turning to increasingly indiscriminate attacks, which show complete disregard for the safety of the local population.

Army Uniforms

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the cut and sew contract for army uniforms to go out to tender; and if he will make a statement.

Quentin Davies: The cut and sew tendering process is scheduled to begin next month. Careful planning is under way to ensure that the best possible clothing is available to our armed forces personnel, while ensuring best value for money for UK taxpayers.

Defence Training Review

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his most recent estimate is of the cost of the Defence Training Review contract.

Bob Ainsworth: The current estimate of the cost of the Defence Training Review Package 1 Project is 12 billion. This represents the cost for the provision of the construction of new facilities at St. Athan and the whole operating costs for the entire 30 year life of the project. These operating costs include staff, catering and maintenance costs, the majority of which we already carry today.

Afghanistan and Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Navy personnel were engaged on land in  (a) Afghanistan and  (b) Iraq on the latest date for which figures are available.

John Hutton: The endorsed size of the force committed to Operation HERRICK 9 is just over 8,000. As announced by the Prime Minister on 15 December 2008,  Official Report, column 816, the number of British troops deployed to Afghanistan has temporarily been increased to around 8,300, of which more than 2,000 are currently drawn from the Royal Navy including the Royal Marines. This figure will decrease over the coming weeks, as 19 Light Brigade replace 3 Commando Brigade as the core of the Helmand taskforce.
	There are currently some 4,100 members of the UK armed forces deployed on land in southern Iraq under Operation TELIC 13, just under 200 of which are members of the Royal Navy.
	The precise number of personnel in each theatre at any one time fluctuates very significantly and on a daily basis for a variety of reasons, including mid-tour rest and recuperation, temporary absence for training, evacuation for medical reasons, the roulement of forces and visits. We do not therefore publish actual figures for personnel deployed in theatre.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average number of UK  (a) service personnel and  (b) civilian staff stationed in Afghanistan was in each financial year from 2001-02 to 2007-08.

John Hutton: Information on the average number of service and Ministry of Defence civilian personnel stationed in Afghanistan in each financial year from 2001-02 to 2007-08 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The number of personnel in theatre at any one time fluctuates significantly on a daily basis for a variety of reasons, including mid-tour rest and recuperation, temporary absence for training, evacuation for medical reasons, the roulement of forces and visits.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British troops have served in Afghanistan since 2001.

John Hutton: Due to continuing validation of data from Legacy Service Personnel Administrative systems and the Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) 'Move  Track' system, data on the total numbers of deployed personnel to Afghanistan since 2001 are not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	As at 1 February 2009 there were 31,500 serving members of the UK armed forces who have been deployed to Afghanistan since 2003. This figure does not include personnel deployed to Afghanistan between the periods 1 January 2003 and 14 October 2005 or those who had left the armed forces by 31 January 2009.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) precision-guided munitions and  (b) gravity bombs of each type have been dropped in Afghanistan by British (i) fixed-wing aircraft and (ii) unmanned aerial vehicles in each year since 2005.

John Hutton: The number of precision-guided munitions and free fall weapons dropped in Afghanistan since 2005 are provided in the tables.
	
		
			  Fixed wing 
			2005  2006  2007  2008  2009( 1) 
			  Precision - guided UK Paveway 2 2 8 10 12  
			  UK Enhanced Paveway 2 13 69 105 71  
			  AGM-114  38 183 97 50 
			  UK Enhanced Paveway 48 22 
			
			  Gravity bombs 540 LB 5 81 72 37  
			  1,000 LB  17 4   
			 (1) Up to 24March 2009 
		
	
	
		
			  UAV 
			2008  2009( 1) 
			  Precision-guided AGM-114 20 1 
			  GBU-12 13  
			 (1) Up to 24 March 2009

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Gibraltarian troops are serving in Afghanistan.

John Hutton: At present there are no members of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment serving in Afghanistan.

Air Force: Deployment

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) average and  (b) highest number of days detached duty was for each Royal Air Force trade in the last 12 months.

Bob Ainsworth: Detached duty is absence from the normal place of work whether operational or training. The average and highest number of days detached duty for each Royal Air Force trade in the last 12 months is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Branch/trade  Average number of days on detached duty  Highest number of days detached 
			  Officers   
			 Pilot 76 315 
			 Weapon systems officer 79 331 
			 Operations support (aerospace battle manager) 87 209 
			 Operations support (air traffic control) 106 360 
			 Operations support (intelligence) 104 279 
			 Operations support (regiment) 104 261 
			 Operations support (provost/security) 117 274 
			 Operations support (flight operations) 100 268 
			 Engineer 92 310 
			 Personnel (support) 114 300 
			 Personnel (physical education) 106 241 
			 Personnel (training) 139 340 
			 Logistics 106 316 
			 Medical 161 304 
			 Medical support 144 231 
			 Medical nursing officer 124 335 
			 Dental 85 126 
			 Chaplains 98 150 
			 Legal 72 164 
			 Music 97 175 
			
			  Non commissioned aircrew   
			 Weapon systems operator (crewman) 76 300 
			 Weapon systems operator (electronic warfare/acoustic) 55 192 
			 Weapon systems operator (linguist) 119 112 
			 Weapon systems operator (air engineer) 60 123 
			  Airmen   
			 Aircraft engineering technician 66 304 
			 Aircraft technician (avionics) 69 360 
			 Aircraft technician (mechanical) 71 335 
			 Engineering technician weapons 75 266 
			 Information and communication technology manager 93 336 
			 Information and communication technology technician 99 301 
			 Information and communication technology aerial erector 67 213 
			 General engineering technician 70 171 
			 General technical electrical 83 248 
			 General technical mechanical 96 346 
			 General technical workshops 75 185 
			 Logistics (driver) 97 319 
			 Royal air force police 95 317 
			 Gunner 117 282 
		
	
	Any trade with less than 10 days have been excluded from the table so that the average figure is based on a reasonable representative sample.

Air Force: Manpower

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) required strength,  (b) actual strength and  (c) percentage shortfall in each trade of the Royal Air Force is.

Bob Ainsworth: The following table shows the liability, strength and shortfall or surplus in real numbers and percentage figures, for RAF trades as at 1 January 2009.
	
		
			 Shortfall/Surplus 
			  Trades  Liability  Strength  Number  Percentage 
			 Weapon Systems Operator (Crewman) 580 500 -80 -14 
			 Weapon Systems Operator (Electronic Warfare/Acoustic) 440 440 0 0 
			 Weapon Systems Operator (Linguist) 60 50 -10 -17 
			 Weapon Systems Operator (Air Engineer) 170 150 -20 -12 
			 Aircraft Engineering Technician 420 430 10 +2 
			 Aircraft Technician (Avionics) 3,760 3,570 -190 -5 
			 Aircraft Technician (Mechanical) 4,740 4,600 -140 -3 
			 Engineering Technician Weapons 1,640 1,520 -120 -7 
			 Information and Communication Technology Manager 300 310 10 +3 
			 Information and Communication Technology Technician 2,490 2,440 -50 -2 
			 Information and Communication Technology Aerial Erector 110 120 10 +9 
			 General Engineering Technician 80 80 0 0 
			 General Technician Electrical 530 480 -50 -9 
			 General Technician Mechanical 920 800 -120 -13 
			 General Technician Workshops 140 130 -10 -7 
			 Logistics Mechanical Transport Driver 1,110 1,060 -50 -5 
			 Royal Air Force Police 1,280 1,290 10 +1 
			 Gunner 1,930 1,750 -180 -9 
			 Fire Fighter 540 540 0 0 
			 Air Traffic Control/Air Traffic Control Assistant/ 1,250 1,240 -10 -1 
			 Flight Operations Manager/Flight Operations Assistant 
			 Royal Air Force Physical Training Instructor 510 500 -10 -2 
			 Intelligence Analyst 680 580 -100 -15 
			 Intelligence Analyst (Voice) 190 170 -20 -11 
			 Aerospace Systems (Operator/Manager)/Senior Non Commissioned Officer Weapons Controller 670 690 20 +3 
			 Survival Equipment Fitter 610 550 -60 -10 
			 Photographer 180 170 -10 -6 
			 Air Cartographer 80 70 -10 -13 
			 Pharmacy Technician 20 20 0 0 
			 Environmental Health Technician 50 40 -10 -20 
			 Operating Department Practitioner 30 30 0 0 
			 Radiographer 10 10 0 0 
			 Biomedical Scientist 20 10 -10 -50 
			 Registered Nurse (Adult) 300 300 0 0 
			 Registered Nurse (Mental Health) 30 30 0 0 
			 Dental Technician 10 10 0 0 
			 Dental Hygienist 20 20 0 0 
			 Dental Nurse 130 130 0 0 
			 RAF Medic 600 600 0 0 
			 Personnel (Support) 1,460 1,360 -100 -7 
			 Logistics (Supplier) 1,850 1,800 -50 -3 
			 Logistics (Mover) 900 850 -50 -6 
			 Logistics (Catering Manager) 70 60 -10 -14 
			 Logistics (Chef) 640 670 30 +5 
			 Logistics (Caterer) 400 380 -20 -5 
			 Musician 180 150 -30 -17 
			  Notes:  1. Trade data have been rounded up to the nearest 10 in accordance with DASA policy and the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998.  2. All percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole number.

Armed Forces: Crime

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what  (a) compensation and  (b) other remedy is available for a British citizen who is the victim of a serious offence committed by a uniformed and on duty member of a visiting force in cases where a certificate of immunity has been submitted to a court under the Visiting Forces Act 1952.

Bob Ainsworth: Under the terms of the NATO Status of Forces Agreement anyone having a claim for loss or damage against a member of a visiting force arising out of actions carried out as part of their official duties should make that claim to the Ministry of Defence Claims branch where it will be considered in the same way as a claim against a member of the UK armed forces.

Armed Forces: Housing

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of overseas  (a) service family and  (b) single living accommodation units there are in each condition grade in each country.

Kevan Jones: With the exception of Germany all overseas Service Family Accommodation (SFA) has been assessed for its Standard for Condition (SfC), a measure of the physical condition of the property.
	As at April 2008, overseas SFA was at the following SfC:
	
		
			   S1 fC  S2fC  S3fC  S4fC  Total 
			  Country  N o.  %  N o.  %  N o.  %  N o.  %  N o.  % 
			 Cyprus 287 12 401 18 151 7 1,411 63 2,250 55 
			 Falkland/Ascension Islands 15 16 21 22 49 51 11 11 96 3 
			 Gibraltar 160 35 24 6 74 16 197 43 455 11 
			 Rest of the world 94 8 658 52 218 17 285 23 1,255 31 
			 Total 556 13 1104 29 492 12 1904 46 4,056  
		
	
	Germany SFA is assessed for its Grade for Charge (GfC), an assessment of a property's condition and other factors including scale (size), location and environmental factors.
	As at November 2008 Germany SFA was at the following GfC:
	
		
			   G1fC  G2fC  G3fC  G4fC  
			  Country  No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  Total 
			 Germany 2,058 16 5,943 47 3,508 30 1,061 7 12,570 
		
	
	All Single Living Accommodation (SLA) is separately assessed for its physical condition and 'scale' (as defined in Joint Service Publication 315 which is available to view at:
	http://www.defence-estates.mod.uk/publications/jsp/jsp315/volumel/index.php
	As at June 2008, the latest date for which figures are available, SLA was at the following grade:
	
		
			   Grade 1  Grade 2  Grade 3  Grade 4  Total 
			  Country  N o.  %  N o.  %  N o.  %  N o.  %  N o.  % 
			 Cyprus 26 2   614 43 782 55 1,422 6 
			 Falkland/Ascension Islands 10 3 3,438 99.7 3,448 16 
			 Germany 2,639 17 1,547 10 4,746 31 6,504 42 15,436 69 
			 Gibraltar   225 52 84 19 128 29 437 2 
			 Rest of the world 32 2 44 3 59 3 1,523 92 1,658 7 
			 Total 2,707 12 1,816 8 5,503 25 12,375 55 22,401

Armed Forces: Housing

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of (a) service family and (b) single living accommodation units in (i) England, (ii) Scotland, (iii) Wales and (iv) Northern Ireland is in each condition grade.

Kevan Jones: An asset survey of Service Family Accommodation (SFA) in England and Wales has recently been undertaken to help plan and prioritise the maintenance and improvement of SFA properties more effectively and to target resources at areas of greatest need. Of the 44,000 SFA properties in England and Wales, over 40,500 have so far been surveyed. The following Standard for Condition (SfC) of these properties are provided in the table below.
	
		
			  SFC  Number  Percentage 
			 S1FC 12,983 32 
			 S2FC 23,127 57 
			 S3FC 4,057 10 
			 S4FC 406 1 
		
	
	The remaining properties will be surveyed between now and April 2010 and consideration is being given to undertaking similar surveys of SFA in Scotland and Northern Ireland (NI).
	Current data for Scotland are provided in the following table.
	
		
			  SFC  Number  Percentage 
			 S1FC 3,120 97 
			 S2FC 102 3 
			 S3FC 5 1 
		
	
	At present, no data are available for NI, however the accommodation is considered to be generally in good condition.
	All Single Living Accommodation (SLA) is separately assessed for its physical condition and scale. As at June 2008, SLA was at the following grade:
	
		
			   Grade 1  Grade 2  Grade 3  Grade 4  
			  Country  N o.  %  N o.  %  N o.  %  N o.  %  Total 
			 England 30,705 25 15,702 13 18,862 15 56,799 47 122,068 
			 Northern Ireland 1,002 24 960 23 1,402 34 776 19 4,140 
			 Scotland 2,555 33 1,559 20 1,677 21 2,041 26 7,832 
			 Wales 671 21 1,277 39 160 5 1,129 35 3,237 
			 UK Total 34,933 26 19,498 14 22,101 16 60,745 44 137,277

Armed Forces: Housing

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many overseas  (a) service family and  (b) single living accommodation units were in each condition grade in each year since 2001.

Kevan Jones: The requested information will take time to collate and verify. I will write to the hon. Member with the information that is available and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Armed Forces: Mental Health Services

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many new referrals to each department of community mental heath there  (a) were in 2008 and  (b) have been to date in 2009.

Kevan Jones: Statistics on referrals and initial assessments at the MOD's 15 Military Departments of Community Mental Health are collated and published quarterly by the Defence Analysis and Statistical Advice organisation {DASA). Data for 2008 are currently being validated. DASA plans to publish data for quarters one and two of 2008 in April 2009, quarters three and four of 2008 in June and an annual report for 2008 in July. Data for the first quarter of 2009 are currently being collected.
	Data provided in the following table and text below updates that provided in my previous answer to the hon. Gentleman on 13 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1299W. The changes are a result of two personnel who were seen in 2007 not being recorded until 2008. Please note that all figures relate to new attendances and not referrals.
	The Ministry of Defence's 15 military Departments of Community Mental Health (DCMHs) across the UK, plus satellite centres in Cyprus and Germany, provide out-patient mental health care for members of the armed forces. The following table provides the number of new attendances at the DCMHs during 2007.
	
		
			  DCMH  New attendances in 2007 
			 Aldershot 394 
			 Brize Norton 654 
			 Catterick 720 
			 Colchester 340 
			 Cranwell 239 
			 Cyprus 82 
			 Donnington 385 
			 Faslane 178 
			 Germany 578 
			 Haslar 307 
			 HQNI 146 
			 Kinloss 166 
			 Leuchars 154 
			 Marham 211 
			 Plymouth 488 
			 Tidworth 379 
			 Woolwich 228 
			 Total 5,649 
		
	
	The figures record all new attendances at DCMHs (i.e. people who have not attended a DCMH previously), and therefore does not include those who were receiving treatment which started prior to January 2007.
	The figures include all people who attended a DCMH appointment, not all of whom will have been subsequently diagnosed to have a mental disorder. Of the 5,649 service personnel seen for initial assessment during 2007, 3,920 personnel (69 per cent.) were diagnosed with a mental disorder.

AWE Aldermaston

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Portsmouth South of 18 December 2008,  Official Report, column 964W, on AWE Aldermaston, if he will place in the Library a copy of any Preliminary Safety Report prepared by the Directorate of Major Projects when it has been completed at AWE Aldermaston for the proposed Enriched Uranium Facility and Hydrodynamics Facility at AWE Aldermaston which has been provided to the Health and Safety Executive.

Quentin Davies: Neither of these documents currently exist. They will be assessed for placement in the Library of the House if and when they are produced.

Cluster Munitions

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he plans to take to implement the UK's obligations under the terms of the Oslo convention on cluster munitions.

Bob Ainsworth: The Ministry of Defence immediately withdrew service cluster munitions prohibited by the convention from operational service following the adoption of the text of the convention on cluster munitions on 30 May 2008 and before its signature on 3 December 2008. Further, the MOD has already started a destruction programme that aims to destroy these munitions ahead of the deadline set out in the convention of eight years after its entry into force.

Defence: Equipment

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 16 March 2009,  Official Report, column 831W, on Iraq: peacekeeping operations, what mechanism is used to assess a proposal to gift equipment.

John Hutton: Surplus assets are considered for sale before being considered for gifting. Any proposals for the gifting of equipment in Iraq are scrutinized by the Ministry of Defence's Operational Planning Group (Redistribution). This group was established in October 2008 to address the drawdown of UK forces in Iraq. Gifting of items with a value of less that 250k can be authorised by the Ministry of Defence; any items with a value greater than 250,000 can only be authorised by HM Treasury and Parliament.

Departmental Data Protection

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to Article 1.16 of the Final Report on Data Handling Procedures in Government of June 2008, whether any personal data from his Department were illegally traded in 2008.

Bob Ainsworth: We are not aware of any incidents of this type.

Departmental Domestic Visits

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions he has visited each region of England in an official capacity in the last 15 months.

John Hutton: Since I assumed the role of Secretary of State for Defence on 4 October 2008 and up to 24 March 2009,1 have made the following official visits to the English regions, as defined by the Government offices for the English regions:
	
		
			  English region  Number of official visits 
			 North East 1 
			 North West 2 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 1 
			 East Midlands 2 
			 West Midlands 1 
			 South West 5 
			 South East 9 
			 London 12 
			 East of England 2 
		
	
	There are inevitably a number of occasions where judgment has been applied as to whether the activity qualifies as a visit or official engagement, particularly in London.

Departmental Empty Property

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the change in the annual cost to his Department of maintaining the empty public buildings owned by his Department as a result of the April 2008 changes to empty property rate relief.

Kevan Jones: Due to the specialist nature of the majority of the defence estate, its lack of any commercial value in rating terms and the recognition that any vacant estate is normally to be disposed of, the incremental cost of change to empty property rate relief is minimal.

Departmental Energy

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much  (a) electricity,  (b) gas and  (c) other fuel was used by (i) his Department and (ii) each of its agencies in each of the last 10 years.

Kevan Jones: The Ministry of Defence's annual consumption data for electricity, gas and other fuel for the period 1999-2000 to 2007-08 are provided in the following table:
	
		
			   MWh (weather corrected) 
			   Electricity  Gas  Other fuel( 1) 
			 1999-2000 1,750,060 3,569,734 1,360,521 
			 2000-01 2,082,485 3,597,251 933,858 
			 2001-02 1,894,069 3,653,203 1,329,432 
			 2002-03 1,995,090 3,753,325 1,064,453 
			 2003-04 2,056,586 3,920,002 987,451 
			 2004-05 2,012,300 4,162,749 971,669 
			 2005-06 1,854,817 3,643,914 894,958 
			 2006-07 1,827,263 3,551,586 878,442 
			 2007-08 1,777,378 3,076,840 842,939 
			 (1) Includes heating oil, LPG, coal. 
		
	
	The 2008-09 consumption figures for electricity, gas and other fuels are not yet available but will be reported later in the year in the Sustainable Operations on Government Estate return.

Departmental Publications

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the  (a) production and printing and  (b) other costs to his Department of producing its most recent (i) departmental annual report and (ii) autumn performance report.

Kevan Jones: Production and printing costs of the Ministry of Defence annual report and accounts 2007-08 was 35,824. The autumn performance report was produced in-house under a corporate reproduction contract at no additional cost. Other costs associated with the production of these reports are not centrally held and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Training

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has provided voice coaching to any of its employees in the last 12 months.

Kevan Jones: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Training

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many training courses were taken by  (a) civil servants and  (b) Ministers in his Department in each of the last three years; and what the total cost of training was in each year.

Kevan Jones: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Erasmus: EU Defence Policy

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will assess the potential merits of pluriannual funding for a Military Erasmus programme from the European Security and Defence Policy budget.

John Hutton: There are no plans for pluriannual funding for the European Initiative on the exchange of young officers inspired by Erasmus, nor is there a separate European Security and Defence Policy budget for such initiatives. The scheme, sometimes described as military Erasmus, is a voluntary arrangement in which member states can choose to participate at their own cost. The UK is not participating in this scheme.

EU Defence Policy

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what reports he received from the Inter-Parliamentary European Security and Defence Assembly in 2008; and which of those he has responded to.

John Hutton: The Department had regular contact with the European Security and Defence Assembly throughout 2008 but we did not receive any reports from the Assembly.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average number of UK  (a) service personnel and  (b) civilian staff stationed in Iraq was in each financial year from 2002-03 to 2007-08.

John Hutton: Information on the average number of service and Ministry of Defence civilian personnel stationed in Iraq in each financial year from 2002-03 to 2007-08 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The number of personnel in theatre at any one time fluctuates significantly on a daily basis for a variety of reasons, including mid-tour rest and recuperation, temporary absence for training, evacuation for medical reasons, the roulement of forces and visits.
	Information on the number of military personnel deployed in Iraq at the end of May in each of the last six years has, however, been made available on the Department's website, and can be found at:
	http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/Templates/Factsheet .aspx?NRMODE=PublishedNRNODEGUID=%7bF0 BBlDFlA9C74E1796E7B3301B06E45F%7dNRORIGIN ALURL=%2fDefenceInternet%2fFactSheets%2fOperations Factsheets%2fDperationsInIraqFactsandFigures%2ehtmNRC ACHEHINT =Guest#mc2

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British troops have served in Iraq since 2003.

John Hutton: Due to ongoing validation of data from Legacy Service Personnel Administrative systems and the Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) Move and Track system, data on the total number of deployed personnel to Iraq since 2003 are not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	As at 1 February 2009 there were 91,300 serving members of the UK armed forces who have been deployed to Iraq and the Gulf region since 2003. This figure does not include personnel who have served in Iraq and the Gulf region but who had left the armed forces by 31 January 2009.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many seaborne attacks by armed gangs  (a) in the Persian Gulf,  (b) in the vicinity of Umm Qasr and  (c) near the Basra oil terminal have been recorded by his Department in each year since 2007.

John Hutton: No reports of serious incidents involving attacks by non-state forces operating from the sea against coalition naval assets in these geographical areas have been recorded since 2007.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 9 March 2009,  Official Report, column 176W, on Iraq: peacekeeping operations, for what reasons he does not publish information on individuals captured outside multi-national Division South-East.

John Hutton: Given the sensitive nature of these operations it is not the practice of the Department to comment upon them.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Lynx helicopters in each service were fitted with voice box recorders in each year since 2003.

Quentin Davies: The following tables provide the number of Royal Navy and Army Lynx helicopters that were fitted with Cockpit Voice Recorders (CVRs) during each year since 2003.
	
		
			  Royal Navy 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  Total fitted 
			 Mk324 7   31 
			 Mk827 3 10 4 44 
		
	
	
		
			  Army 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  Total fitted 
			 Mk7   1 47 21 4 1 74 
			 Mk9(1)24 
			 (1) 24 Lynx Mk9 helicopters entered service in 1991/92 with CVRs already fitted at initial build

NATO: EU Defence Policy

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the likely effects of France's re-integration into the military structure of NATO on future development of European Security and Defence Policy.

John Hutton: Since the inception of European Security and Defence Policy the UK's policy has been that the EU and NATO are both important organisations in dealing with international crisis management but that they need to be complementary and not duplicate each other.
	President Sarkozy has regularly emphasised this need for complementarity between EU and NATO. France's intention to rejoin NATO's military structures is welcome and should help to reinforce the importance of this approach.

Nuclear Submarines

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many warheads have typically been deployed at sea on Trident submarine patrols since 1997.

John Hutton: In the 1998 Strategic Defence Review we announced that we will have only one submarine on patrol at a time, carrying a reduced load of 48 warheads. Before the Strategic Defence Review, the announced ceiling was 96.

Nuclear Submarines

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the typical duration of mid-life Trident submarine refits has been since 1997.

John Hutton: Of the four Vanguard class submarines, two have already completed long overhaul periods (refuelling) (LOP(R)). The LOP(R) for HMS Vanguard started in February 2002 and was completed after three years and six months; the LOP(R) for HMS Victorious was started in January 2005 and was completed after three years and eight months.

Nuclear Submarines

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the probable duration of major ballistic missile submarine refits when no mid-life refuelling of the reactor is required.

John Hutton: All Vanguard class submarines have been, or will be, fitted with long life reactor cores that will last for the remainder of their operational life without the need for refuelling. These cores are being fitted as part of the submarines' long overhaul periods (refuelling) (LOP(R)s).
	Vanguard class submarines with long life cores will subsequently undergo long overhaul periods (LOPs). Work is still under way to determine the composition of the work package for a LOP; it is therefore too early to-estimate their duration.

Nuclear Submarines

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he plans to take to ensure the compatibility of the new generation of Trident submarines with future generations of Trident missiles planned for entry into service in 2042; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: holding answer 26 March 2009
	It is our intention that both the future UK and US submarines will share a common missile compartment within which the missiles will be carried. In the event that the US decides to develop a successor to the Trident D5 missile, there is no risk that it will be incompatible with this common compartment and hence with the future UK submarine.

Nuclear Submarines

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the  (a) missile launch tubes and  (b) missile compartments in UK and US ballistic missile submarines have conformed to a common design since the adoption by the UK of a submarine-based nuclear deterrent.

John Hutton: Since the adoption by the UK of a submarine-based nuclear deterrent, the UK has conformed to a common design for the missile launch tubes for both the Polaris and Trident systems. Missile compartments for both systems conform to US specifications necessary to incorporate the US-supplied weapon system. There are, however, agreed variations to reflect UK-specific requirements.

Nuclear Weapons

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK personnel have visited the Nevada test site in each year since 2002; and what the  (a) dates and  (b) purposes were of each joint UK/US experiment undertaken at the Nevada test site since January 2002.

Quentin Davies: The total number of UK personnel visiting the Nevada test site under the auspices of the joint United Kingdom/United States Mutual Defence Agreement (MDA) is provided in the following table.
	
		
			   Number 
			 2002 27 
			 2003 62 
			 2004 30 
			 2005 89 
			 2006 53 
			 2007 58 
			 2008 91 
		
	
	These figures include personnel making more than one visit in any given year.
	Two specific sub-critical plutonium experiments were conducted in 2002 and 2006, the purpose of which was to gather scientific data essential for the maintenance and reliability of both US and UK nuclear weapons without having to conduct underground nuclear tests. The increased activity in 2005 coincides with preparations for the second of these experiments.
	The increased activity in 2008 reflects a number of unrelated visits associated with stockpile maintenance activities and a specific classified project relating to nuclear counter-terrorism, details of which I am withholding in the interests of national security.
	In addition to these visits, a number of other non-MDA related visits will have taken place. Statistics covering these visits are not centrally held and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Piracy

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what protocols govern the seizure of suspected pirate ships and their equipment by British armed forces.

Bob Ainsworth: Royal Navy vessels participating in counter-piracy operations are provided with detailed rules of engagement (ROE) setting out the measures they may take in relation to pirate vessels, including the seizure of suspected pirate vessels and equipment. These ROE are in accordance with international law, including the United Nations convention on the law of the sea (UNCLOS), and are kept under regular review.
	I am withholding details of ROE as their release would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of our armed forces.

RAF Menwith Hill

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what agreements the Government has with the US administration governing the use of RAF Menwith Hill by the National Security Agency.

Bob Ainsworth: The use of RAF Menwith Hill by the United States Visiting Force and US Agencies is governed by the terms of the NATO Status of Forces Agreement of 1951 and other confidential arrangements between the UK and US.

RAF Menwith Hill

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Space-Based Infrared System at RAF Menwith Hill is due to become operational.

Bob Ainsworth: The Space-Based Infrared Red System (SBIRS) facilities at RAF Menwith Hill are ready for operation. The operational date for SBIRS is a matter for the United States, but is unlikely to be before 2010.

USA: Military Bases

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which British military bases will  (a) form part of and  (b) provide services in support of the US missile defence system.

John Hutton: In support of the US missile defence system, the UK provides missile early warning information from the radar at RAF Fylingdales, and allows the US to route early warning satellite data via a satellite downlink at RAF Menwith Hill.

Veterans Day: Finance

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what financial assistance his Department has provided to Veterans Day events in each year since Veterans Day was introduced.

Kevan Jones: Veterans Day was introduced in 2006 and grew successfully year on year. In 2008 following publication of the Report of Inquiry into National Recognition of our Armed Forces the decision was taken for Veterans Day to evolve into Armed Forces Day; the inaugural Armed Forces Day will take place on 27 June 2009. The amounts awarded to community led Veterans Day events are provided for each year in the following table, which do not include the costs associated with the provision of other support such as bands, display aircraft or armed forces' personnel.
	
		
			   MOD funding () 
			 2006 260,304 
			 2007 363,586 
			 2008 400,762

Warships

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the out-of-service dates are for each mine countermeasures vessel; and what the projected in-service dates are for each successor vessel.

Quentin Davies: Our present planning assumptions, which are routinely updated as required, are provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Name  Out of service date 
			  Hunt class  
			 HMS Ledbury 2019 
			 HMS Cattistock 2020 
			 HMS Brocklesbury 2020 
			 HMS Chiddingfold 2020 
			 HMS Middleton 2020 
			 HMS Hurworth 2022 
			 HMS Atherstone 2022 
			 HMSQuorn 2023 
			   
			  Sandown  c lass  
			 HMS Walney 2017 
			 HMS Penzance 2023 
			 HMS Pembroke 2023 
			 HMS Grimsby 2024 
			 HMS Bangor 2024 
			 HMS Ramsey 2025 
			 HMS Blyth 2026 
			 HMS Shoreham 2026 
		
	
	Our future requirements for maritime mine detection and clearance are under consideration and our capabilities will be developed over the coming years in order to best meet those requirements.

Warships

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for which  (a) Royal Navy and  (b) Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels orders have been placed since May 1997.

Quentin Davies: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 25 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 444-48W, to the hon. Member for Woodspring (Dr. Fox).

Warships

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the planned future numbers are of Royal Navy  (a) destroyers,  (b) frigates and  (c) attack submarines.

Quentin Davies: The planned future number of destroyers is six Type 45 Daring class. The number of frigates to be procured under the Future Surface Combatant programme will be decided as part of the main investment decision. The planned future number of attack submarines is seven Astute class.

Warships

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the crew totals are for  (a) Astute and  (b) Trafalgar-class submarines,  (c) Type 45 and  (d) Type 42 destroyers,  (e) current aircraft carriers,  (f) future aircraft carriers,  (g) future surface combatants and  (h) Type 23 frigates.

Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 13 November 2007,  Official Report, column 129W, to the hon. Member for Woodspring (Dr. Fox). Manning levels of ships are adjusted according to their task and detailed statistics on these manning judgments are not held centrally.

HEALTH

Burns: north-west

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many serious burn cases have been dealt with by each burn unit in the north-west in each year since 2001.

Ann Keen: Not all of the information requested is available centrally. Relevant information held on the National Burn Injury Database is included in the following table:
	
		
			  Northern burn care network 
			  S evere/complex patient number 
			  Hospital  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  Total 
			  Paediatrics
			 Wakefield 3 2 7 4 1 7 24 
			 Manchester 6 2 3 4 5 4 24 
			 Liverpool 3 6 2 2 3 4 20 
			 Preston 3 0 2 2 4 2 13 
			 
			  Adults
			 Wakefield 9 10 8 5 6 9 47 
			 Manchester 8 8 13 7 12 15 63 
			 Liverpool 4 5 9 11 8 10 47 
			 Preston 4 2 2 8 1 3 20 
			  Source:  National burn injury database.

Dental Services

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether  (a) complete upper and lower dentures,  (b) complete upper dentures only,  (c) complete lower dentures only,  (d) partial upper and lower acrylic dentures,  (e) partial upper acrylic dentures only,  (f) partial lower acrylic dentures only,  (g) partial upper and lower cobalt chrome dentures,  (h) partial upper cobalt chrome dentures only and  (i) partial lower cobalt chrome dentures only have been provided under the NHS since the introduction of the new dental contract in April 2006.

Ann Keen: The contractual obligation is for the contractor to provide all proper and necessary dental care and treatment that the patient is willing to undergo. Where appropriate this will include provision of full (complete) or partial dentures, overdentures and obturators in synthetic resin or metal or both synthetic resin and metal, including any cast or wrought metal components or aids to retention.

Dentistry: Education

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent estimate is of the cost of the first five years of training for a dental student.

Ann Keen: We estimate that the current average cost of training a dentist over the five year course leading to a Bachelor of Dental Science degree is 170,000 net of tuition fees.

Departmental Public Appointments

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which former  (a) Members of the House of Lords and  (b) hon. Members who left Parliament since 1997 have been appointed to public bodies for which his Department is responsible; and who made each such appointment.

Ben Bradshaw: This information is not held centrally. Information on board membership and remuneration is published in individual bodies' annual reports and accounts.

Departmental Publications

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the  (a) production and printing and  (b) other costs to his Department of producing its most recent (i) departmental annual report and (ii) autumn performance report.

Ben Bradshaw: Costs for production, printing and other items of the most recent published departmental report 2008 (Cm 7393) and autumn performance report 2008 (Cm 7519) are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Cost  () 
			  Departmental Report 2008  
			 Printing 6,345 
			 Typesetting 8,315 
			 Other 6,064 
			   
			  Autumn Performance Report 2008  
			 Printing 5,335 
			 Typesetting 4,584 
			 Other 688

Health Services: Greater London

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effects of recent changes in the funding formula for primary care on primary care trust budgets in  (a) London and  (b) Enfield.

Ben Bradshaw: The Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA) has recently reviewed the formula used to determine revenue allocations to primary care trusts (PCTs) for 2009-10 and 2010-11. ACRA did not review the primary care component of the formula.
	Once the allocations have been made it is for PCTs to commission the services they require to meet the health care needs of the local populations and patients they serve taking into account both local and national priorities.

Health Services: Waiting Lists

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what account the 18-week target for time from GP referral to start of hospital treatment takes of a patient's request for a second opinion following referral.

Ben Bradshaw: The 18-week commitment covers all consultant-led elective services. From 1 January 2009, the minimum expectation of consultant-led elective services will be that no one should wait more than 18 weeks from the time they are referred to the start of their hospital treatment, unless it is clinically appropriate to do so or they choose to wait longer. It includes all appointments including those for diagnostic tests between referral and first definitive treatment.
	Nationally, the national health service overall has met the minimum operational standards for 18 weeksin each month since August 2008.
	Referral to treatment data for January 2009 show that:
	92.9 per cent. of patients whose treatment involved admission to hospital started their treatment within 18 weeks. The median time waited for admitted patients was 8.6 weeks; and
	97.3 per cent. of non-admitted patients waited 18 weeks or less. The median time waited for non-admitted patients was 4.6 weeks.
	However, there will be occasions when treatment in 18 weeks may prove not to be possible for good clinical reasons. This may include where a patient and consultant agree that a patient should receive a second expert opinion and it is not in the patient's best clinical interests to be treated in under 18 weeks. A maximum of 18 weeks should remain the clear goal for every patient.
	A key principle for 18 weeks is that any decision that a patient will not receive their treatment in 18 weeks, however legitimate this is, should be explicitly communicated to both the patient and their general practitioner.

National Burn Care Review Group

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when the National Burn Care Review Group last met;
	(2)  who represents the providers of burn services in Merseyside on the National Burn Care Review Group;
	(3)  when he last met the National Burn Care Review Group;
	(4)  whether the National Burn Care Review Group is active; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  what communications the National Burn Care Review Group had with providers of burn services in the North West since November 2006.

Ann Keen: The National Burn Care Group (NBCG) is a sub-group of the National Specialised Commissioning Group (NSCG), a body established on 1 April 2007. The NSCG, the successor to the National Burn Care Review Group, was established to oversee the national commissioning of highly specialised services and facilitate collaborative working at a pan-Specialised Commissioning Group level. The NBCG last met on 24 February 2009. Ministers have not attended any meetings of the NBCG.
	There are no provider organisations represented directly on the NBCG. Providers are represented on each of the four networks set up to commission services in their area. In the north-west providers of burn care services are represented on the Strategy Board, the Operational Service Group and the Lead Clinician Forum of the Northern Burn Care Network. The Network Manager and the Clinical Director of the Northern Network reflect their views to the NBCG.
	The Department does not hold information on communications between the NBCG and north-west Burn Care providers. Since the Northern Burn Care Network was established in May 2008, communications with providers in the north-west have taken place via the Network's Strategy Board and Operational Services Group.

NHS: Bank Services

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which hospitals have lost money in the Icelandic banking collapse.

Ben Bradshaw: There were no strategic health authorities, primary care trusts or national health service trusts with any Exchequer funds (i.e. taxpayers' money) residing in Icelandic banks.
	Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Charities had 1.65 million of charitable funds deposited in the Icelandic bank, Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander.
	The Christie Hospital NHS Foundation Trust released a statement on 10 October confirming that they had a deposit of 7.5 million with the Icelandic bank, Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander. 1 million of this was NHS money and 6.5 million was charitable funds.
	Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust also have a deposit of 1 million with the Icelandic bank, Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander, all of this deposit was NHS money.

NHS: Bank Services

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department provided to NHS organisations on investing in Icelandic banks.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department has provided no specific advice to national health service organisations in respect of investment in Icelandic banks.
	There were no strategic health authorities (SHAs), primary care trusts (PCT) or NHS trusts with any Exchequer funds (i.e. taxpayers money) residing in Icelandic banks, although Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Charities had 1.65 million of charitable funds deposited in the Icelandic bank, Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander.
	In general, the large majority of cash balances held by NHS organisations will be in Government bank accounts with HM Office of the Paymaster General, which all NHS organisations must hold.
	PCTs/SHAs may hold commercial bank accounts but in practice the large majority of cash balances of all SHAs and PCTs will be in Government bank accounts. In addition, SHAs and PCTs are discouraged from holding commercial bank accounts by applying a charge to any average cleared balance over 25,000.
	NHS trusts are able to hold commercial bank accounts but in practice the large majority of balances for each NHS trust will be held in Government bank accounts. The Department does not hold any information on the individual commercial bank accounts held by NHS trusts.
	NHS foundation trusts are autonomous organisations free from central Government control and NHS foundation trust boards of directors are ultimately and collectively responsible for the financial performance of their trust, including decisions on how and where to invest surplus cash. Monitor, the independent regulator of NHS foundation trusts, regulates NHS foundation trusts, making sure they are well managed and financially strong. Monitor has issued best practice advice to NHS foundation trusts on the investment of cash.
	The Christie Hospital NHS Foundation Trust released a statement on 10 October confirming that they had a deposit of 7.5 million with the Icelandic bank, Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander. 1 million of this was NHS money and 6.5 million was charitable funds.
	Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust also have a deposit of 1 million with the Icelandic bank, Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander, all of this deposit was NHS money.

NHS: Death Rate

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to page 3 of the Healthcare Commission's report on the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, how many alerts regarding mortality the Healthcare Commission has received in respect of each NHS organisation in each of the last five years; which alerts it followed up with the relevant trust in each year; in which such cases it decided that no further action was needed; and for what reason no further action was taken in each such case.

Ben Bradshaw: We understand from the chairman of the Healthcare Commission that its system for identifying and following up 'alerts' about apparently high mortality rates has been in operation for less than two years. Details of the methodology used and number of alerts followed up in the first year of operation (August 2007 to July 2008), but not of the trusts concerned, are set out in the commission's report Following up mortality outliers, which is published on the commission's website at:
	www.healthcarecommission.org.uk/publicationslibrary.cfm ?fde_id=10285
	85 'alerts' were considered in the first year. After statistical analysis, 43 were not pursued with the trusts concerned. The commission pursued the remaining 42 with the trusts until it confirmed it was satisfied with the explanation for the apparently high rates and with actions being taken. When pursuing alerts with trusts the commission looks for:
	evidence that the trust has given serious consideration to the commission's questions and has addressed all of the matters raised;
	robust evidence in support of the trust's arguments;
	an indication of whether the trust was already aware of the issue and was already taking some form of action;
	evidence that the trust is making reasonable clinical judgments; and
	assurance that the trust is monitoring its own rates of mortality and is undertaking reviews where necessary.
	The chairman of the Healthcare Commission has commented that each 'alert' relates to mortality rates for a specific diagnosis or condition rather than to an overall trust-wide or hospital-wide mortality rate.

Out of Area Treatment: Wales

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to conclude the negotiations for the renewal of the protocol between his Department and the Welsh Assembly Government on commissioning for cross-border patients.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government intend to renew the protocol for commissioning cross-border health services with the Welsh Assembly Government by 1 April 2009.

Quarry House

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what visits Ministers in his Department have made to Quarry House in Leeds since July 2007; and what the date of each visit was.

Ben Bradshaw: Ministers of this Department have had a number of meetings with Leeds departmental staff in Leeds and by videoconference. The Department makes as much use as possible of technology in holding meetings between Ministers and staff based in Leeds to help reduce both travel costs and carbon emissions. In 2007, Alan Johnson MP, Ben Bradshaw MP, Ivan Lewis MP and Dawn Primarolo MP met staff at an all-staff event at a conference venue in Leeds. In 2008, Alan Johnson MP, Ann Keen MP, Dawn Primarolo MP and Ivan Lewis MP met staff at the next all-staff event in Leeds, which was also based at a conference venue. In 2009, all Ministers attended the Leeds all-staff event by videoconference. The dates on which Ministers have had meetings within Quarry House itself are in the following table:
	
		
			  Date of visit  Ministerial position 
			 15 August 2007 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health Services (Ann Keen) 
			 20 September 2007 Secretary of State (Alan Johnson) 
			 6 March 2008 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Lord Darzi) 
			 28 August 2008 Secretary of State (Alan Johnson)

Regional Ministers: Travel

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the permanent secretary of his Department has authorised expenditure on travel costs for the parliamentary assistant to the Minister for the South West in accordance with the circumstances envisaged in the Cabinet Secretary's letter to Permanent Secretaries of 2 December 2008.

Ben Bradshaw: The permanent secretary has on one occasion (for travel on 26 January 2009) authorised expenditure on travel costs for the parliamentary assistant to the Minister for the South West in accordance with the circumstances envisaged in the Cabinet Secretary's letter to permanent secretaries of 2 December 2008. However, the journey did not take place and no cost was therefore incurred.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Crisis Loans

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many crisis loans awarded in each of the last five years were made to applicants who had previously received more than three crisis loans in the same year.

Kitty Ussher: The available information is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Crisis  l oan awards for Great Britain 
			   Number of awards made to applicants who had previously received four or more awards in the year 
			 2003-04 70,700 
			 2004-05 64,800 
			 2005-06 67,000 
			 2006-07 85,900 
			 2007-08 164,300 
			  Notes: 1. If, for example, an applicant received seven awards in a financial year, three awards would be counted in the table. 2. The numbers of applications and repayable loans which could be held on the Social Fund Computer System for an individual customer were increased in October 2006. This means that the figures for 2003-04 to 2005-06 are not strictly comparable with that for 2006-07 or for 2007-08, but the impact is small. 3. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.  Source: Analysis of scans of Crisis Loan final decisions taken in each financial year and held on the Social Fund Computer System on 30 September following the financial year. A final decision is either an initial decision or a review decision. One award is counted for each application which is successful initially and/or on review. For each financial year: awards for which initial decisions were made before the financial year but which were reviewed in the financial year are included on the scan; awards on which initial decisions were made in the financial year but which were reviewed after the year ended are not included on the scan.

Departmental Energy

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much  (a) electricity,  (b) gas and  (c) other fuel has been used by (i) his Department and (ii) each of its agencies since its inception.

Jonathan R Shaw: The following table gives a breakdown of the energy used by the Department, including its agencies since 2001. As this is consumption data only, it has not been subject to weather correction, and will therefore vary from information published in previous Sustainable Development in Government reports:
	
		
			   Electricity MWh  Gas MWh  Oil MWh  Total MWh 
			 2001-02 248,692 414,295 31,324 694,311 
			 2002-03 290,691 371,096 23,734 685,520 
			 2003-04 329,573 347,023 22,636 699,232 
			 2004-05 328,376 363,437 22,469 714,283 
			 2005-06 327,461 348,472 17,046 692,979 
			 2006-07 328,992 316,398 12,478 657,869 
			 2007-08 287,936 273,905 10,706 572,547 
			 Total 2,141,722 2,434,626 140,393 4,716,741 
		
	
	Additionally, in 2007-08 the Department consumed 39,433 kWh of heat from waste.

Employment: Autism

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the percentage of people diagnosed with autism who were in employment in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Department for Work and Pensions does not hold information on employment rates for people with autism.

Flowers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent by his Department on flowers in the last 12 months.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Department for Work and Pensions does not have a separate or identifiable account code in departmental finance records to distinguish expenditure on flowers. To try and identify any such expenditure would incur a disproportionate amount of time and cost.
	Spending public money on flowers as gifts for staff is not allowed under any circumstances, in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety which is based on the principles set out in Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

Housing Benefit

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what tapers have been applied in calculations of entitlements to housing benefit in each of the last three years.

Kitty Ussher: Entitlement to housing benefit is assessed by comparing a customer's net income with an amount intended to cover day to day living expenses called an applicable amount. If the customer's income is below or equal to the applicable amount, they will normally receive the maximum available help with their rent.
	If the net income is above the applicable amount, a fixed taper of 65p for each pound that the income exceeds that level is applied. This means the amount of housing benefit is reduced by 65p for each pound of income above the applicable amount.
	The fixed taper has been at 65p since the current housing benefit scheme was introduced in 1998.

Jobcentre Plus: Internet

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) job searches Jobcentre Plus handled through its website and  (b) employers posted vacancies through Jobcentre Plus' Employer Direct Online service in each (i) region and (ii) Jobcentre Plus district in each (A) year from 2002 to 2009 and (B) of the last 24 months.

Tony McNulty: People across the country can search for jobs anywhere in the country via the Jobcentre Plus website. It is therefore not possible to determine which region or Jobcentre Plus district a user lives in.
	Information on the number of employers who posted vacancies on Employer Direct online is not collated centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Local Housing Allowance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) people and  (b) households received local housing allowance in each of the last four quarters.

Kitty Ussher: This information is not currently available.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what level of assistance his Department provided for vulnerable households under the support for mortgage interest scheme in the period immediately prior to 5 January 2009; and what level has been provided under the scheme since that date;
	(2)  what definition of vulnerable his Department uses in respect of its support for mortgage interest scheme.

Kitty Ussher: Help is provided towards the interest on mortgages (known as support for mortgage interest (SMI)) as part of income support (IS), income-based jobseeker's allowance (JSA(IB)), income-related employment and support allowance (ESA(IR)) and state pension credit (SPC).
	Prior to 5 January, home owners claiming IS, JSA(IB), ESA(IR) generally had to serve a waiting period of 39 weeks before assistance was provided towards their eligible housing costs. Customers in receipt of state pension credit (SPC) receive help immediately with their housing costs as they do not serve a waiting period.
	Some home owners, who were considered to be vulnerable, received help towards their housing costs earlier than 39 weeks. Help for these groups was provided at 50 per cent. of eligible mortgage interest after eight weeks then full eligible assistance after 26 weeks. The groups were: carers; widow(er)s or people who have been abandoned by their partner and who had responsibility for the care of a child; prisoners detained in custody pending trial or sentence upon conviction; and those who had been refused payments under an insurance policy due to either a pre-existing medical condition or because they were infected by HIV or AIDs.
	From 5 January 2009, all working age customers (those claiming IS, JSA(IB) or ESA(IR)) making new claims will receive help with 100 per cent. of their eligible housing costs after a waiting period of 13 weeks.
	This compares favourably with the previous position because although some customers received 50 per cent. of eligible housing costs after eight weeks under the old rules, they had to wait 26 weeks before receiving 100 per cent. We believe that this more generous help, taken together with the increased capital limit for working age customers from 100,000 to 200,000, will reduce the risk of repossessions.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the  (a) maximum amount which could be claimed and  (b) time limit for claims under the support for mortgage interest scheme was in the period up to 5 January 2009; and what the limit has been since that date.

Kitty Ussher: Where a home owner is getting income support (IS), income-based jobseeker's Allowance (JSA(IB)), income-related employment and support allowance (ESA(IR)) or state pension credit (SPC) and they have a mortgage, those benefits may include an additional element called support for mortgage interest (SMI). SMI is meant to assist the home owner with the interest on their mortgage, and an additional amount is included in the applicable amount. It is not a separate benefit, rather an integral part of IS, JSA(IB), ESA(IR) and SPC.
	The amount of SMI is calculated by applying a standard interest rate (SIR) to the capital outstanding on the mortgage, subject to upper limits on the amount of that capital. From 5 January, for new claims to IS, JSA and ESA, the capital limit was increased from 100,000 to 200,000. The existing 100,000 capital limit has been retained in SPC, but we will allow those getting help via SMI on loans over 100,000 to keep the higher capital limit when they move on to SPC within 12 weeks of a claim for a working age benefit ending, for as long as they remain entitled to SPC.
	Previously, the SIR had been set at the Bank of England base rate plus an additional 1.58 per cent. However, the Government are concerned that recent cuts in the base rate will disadvantage significant number of customers on benefit if they are reflected in SMI calculations. For this reason, the Chancellor announced in the pre-Budget report on 24 November 2008 that the SIR will remain at 6.08 per cent. for six months.
	In addition, the waiting period before help through SMI starts was shortened from 39 or 26 weeks to 13 weeks for new, some repeat and some existing working age claims. There is no waiting period for home owners claiming SPC.
	A two-year time limit on SMI for new, some repeat and some existing JSA claims only was introduced from 5 January 2009. Prior to this, help through SMI was available so long as there was a liability for the mortgage and so long as there was entitlement to JSA.
	The SMI changes are a temporary short-term measure intended to help people over the potentially difficult labour market problems they face and help limit repossessions, rather than changing existing qualifying conditions, and will be reviewed once housing market conditions are more favourable.

Motability

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many vehicles comprise the Motability fleet.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Motability fleet is currently comprised of 507,000 vehicles.

New Deal Schemes

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the service fee element of the Flexible New Deal contracts will be  (a) for the first 18 months and  (b) over the full term of the contract.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 11 March 2009
	 DWP will retain a performance and payment regime based largely on outcomes, providing shortlisted bidders with the opportunity to develop innovative, individually tailored solutions. DWP's expectation is to have a funding model based on 80 per cent. (outcome) and 20 per cent. (fee based) as originally announced. However, in the initial phase of the contract (first 18 months), DWP will consider alternative models based on a higher service fee element. After the initial phase of the contract we anticipate returning to the funding model as originally announced.

Social Fund

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether recipients of incapacity benefit are eligible to make an application for a social fund loan.

Jonathan R Shaw: There are two types of social fund loan paymentbudgeting loans and crisis loans.
	To be eligible for a budgeting loan a person has to be in receipt of a qualifying income related benefit. The qualifying benefits are: income support; income-based jobseeker's allowance; income-related employment and support allowance or pension credit.
	Crisis loans, paid to help meet an immediate short-term need in an emergency or as a consequence of a disaster are available to anyone, whether or not they are in receipt of a qualifying benefit.

Social Security Benefits

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have been disqualified from benefits for 13 weeks under the two strikes policy in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Tony McNulty: The information available is in the table:
	
		
			   Number of cases where sanction applies  Number of cases where sanction applied to subsequent benefit entitlement  Number of cases where sanction in abeyancebenefit not in payment 
			 2003-04 72 58 14 
			 2004-05 79 48 31 
			 2005-06 121 74 47 
			 2006-07 104 46 58 
			 2007-08 69 30 39

Vacancies

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of vacancies were advertised in job centres in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 16 March 2009
	We do not have a recent estimate of the proportion of vacancies in the UK economy advertised at Jobcentre Plus. There have been some one-off surveys that have estimated the Jobcentre Plus share of all vacancies. In 2002, ONS used one such survey to estimate the proportion of total vacancies advertised at Jobcentres at 44 per cent. Allowing for sampling variation, the ratio was likely to be in the range of around a third to a half. However, this estimate is likely to have changed over time.
	The following tables show the number of live unfilled Jobcentre Plus vacancies in Great Britain in each of the last 12 months, and the number of unfilled vacancies in the economy according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Vacancy Survey. Both measures are snap-shots of the number of opportunities available at a particular point in time and do not reflect the dynamism of the labour market that sees thousands of new job vacancies come up every day.
	The data from Jobcentre Plus and the ONS Vacancy Survey are not directly comparable, and so should not be used together to produce such an estimate. The Vacancy Survey is a sample based survey of businesses in the UK and is seasonally adjusted, whereas the Jobcentre Plus data are administrative data that are subject to a high level of seasonality. In addition, there are coverage issues, with the Vacancy Survey covering only civilian vacancies and excluding Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing, whereas the Jobcentre Plus data include non-civilian vacancies.
	
		
			  Number of job vacancies in Great Britain advertised by Jobcentre Plus in each of the last 12 months 
			   Live unfilled vacancies 
			  2008  
			 March 397,505 
			 April 385,082 
			 May 377,648 
			 June 386,810 
			 July 353,493 
			 August 348,451 
			 September 373,922 
			 October 383,331 
			 November 343,274 
			 December 271,011 
			   
			  2009  
			 January 193,792 
			 February 238,554 
			  Notes:  1. Data are unrounded, and not seasonally adjusted.  2. The Jobcentre Plus data do not cover the whole UK economy. Coverage relates just to vacancies notified to Jobcentre Plus and as such represent a market share of vacancies throughout the whole economy. This proportion varies over time, according to the occupation of the vacancy and industry of the employer, and by local area. Comprehensive estimates of all job vacancies (not just those notified to Jobcentre Plus) are available from the monthly ONS Vacancy Survey since April 2001, based on a sample of some 6,000 enterprises. However, the ONS survey is currently designed to provide national estimates only.  3. The stocks of live unfilled vacancies reflect more accurately job opportunities available via Jobcentre Plus. In the case of unfilled vacancies, use of the figures on live vacancies is recommended (i.e. excluding suspended vacancies), and this is the default option. Live vacancies may still include some vacancies which have already been filled or are otherwise no longer open to recruits, due to natural lags in procedures for following up vacancies with employers.  4. Jobcentre Plus figures are published at: www.nomisweb.co.uk   Source:  Jobcentre Plus Labour Market System. 
		
	
	
		
			  Office for National Statistics UK Vacancy Survey 
			   Level of vacancies (Three-month rolling average estimates) 
			 January to March 2008 687,000 
			 February to April 2008 682,000 
			 March to May 2008 670,000 
			 April to June 2008 649,000 
			 May to July 2008 629,000 
			 June to August 2008 611,000 
			 July to September 2008 599,000 
			 August to October 2008 581,000 
			 September to November 2008 556,000 
			 October to December 2008 531,000 
			 November to January 2009 506,000 
			 December to February 2009 482,000 
			  Notes:  1. Data are rounded to the nearest 1,000, and are seasonally adjusted three-month averages.  2. Excludes Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing.  3. November, December and January data on the ONS monthly vacancies estimate have been revised and February data are provisional.  4. ONS monthly vacancies estimates published at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_labour/LatestData.xls   Source:  Office for National Statistics Vacancy Survey.

Vacancies: Eastbourne

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average number of job vacancies in Eastbourne constituency was in each of the last 12 months.

Kevin Brennan: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated March 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what the average number of job vacancies in Eastbourne constituency was in each of the last 12 months. (267282)
	The Office for National Statistics estimates the number of vacancies from the Vacancy Survey, however estimates below UK are not available from this source.
	An alternative source of information on job vacancies is administrative data from Jobcentre Plus. This data only includes job vacancies notified to Jobcentre Plus and consequently is inconsistent with the UK estimates from the Vacancy Survey, however geographical breakdowns of this data are available.
	Table 1 attached, shows the number of live unfilled job vacancies held by Jobcentre Plus for Eastbourne parliamentary constituency for each month from March 2008 to February 2009. Figures from Jobcentre Plus for Great Britain, along with three month averages for the UK from the Vacancy Survey have also been included for comparison.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of job vacancies( 1)  in Eastbourne parliamentary constituency, Great Britain and UK 
			  Not seasonally adjusted 
			   Eastbourne  Great Britain 
			  2008   
			 March 440 398,000 
			 April 490 385,000 
			 May 527 378,000 
			 June 677 387,000 
			 July 416 353,000 
			 August 518 348,000 
			 September 552 374,000 
			 October 536 383,000 
			 November 514 343,000 
			 December 491 271,000 
			
			  2009   
			 January 399 194,000 
			 February 292 239,000 
			 (1 )Job Vacancies for Eastbourne and Great Britain are live unfilled vacancies from the Jobcentre Plus administrative data. These are inconsistent with the UK figures from the ONS Vacancy Survey.   Source:  Jobcentre Plus Administrative Data. 
		
	
	
		
			  Seasonally  adjusted 
			   UK 
			 January to March 2008 687,000 
			 February to April 2008 682,000 
			 March to May 2008 670,000 
			 April to June 2008 649,000 
			 May to July 2008 629,000 
			 June to August 2008 611,000 
			 July to September 2008 599,000 
			 August to October 2008 581,000 
			 September to November 2008 556,000 
			 October to December 2008 531,000 
			 November 2008 to January 2009 506,000 
			 December 2008 to February 2009 482,000 
			  Source:  Vacancy Survey, ONS.

Vocational Training: Jobcentre Plus

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many of the training courses to which Jobcentre Plus offers access lead to a certified qualification.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is not collated centrally.

Workstep

Derek Conway: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the percentage of funding under the relevant contract which has been spent on administration by  (a) prime contractors on the Pathways to Work programme and  (b) disabled charity providers under Workstep.

Jonathan R Shaw: 30 per cent. of the Pathways contract funding is paid in the form of a service fee. Information is not available about how much of this is used for administration costs, since we have given Pathways and Workstep providers freedom to design their own approaches to best meeting customers' needs.

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

Borrowing: Advisory Services

Greg Hands: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much was spent on establishing the Stop Loan Sharks  (a) telephone line,  (b) website and  (c) text service; and what estimate he has made of the number of people who have used each service since establishment.

Gareth Thomas: The amount spent on establishing the Stop Loan Sharks is as follows:
	 (a) Telephone lineThe telephone number cost 200 to install and 10 per month line rental to keep the number live. The easily recognisable number itself was free. The geographical set up was free.
	 (b) WebsiteDevelopment of the website design cost approximately 6,000. The stop loan sharks email is free. There were no direct costs to BERR from Directgov to produce the website.
	 (c) Text serviceThe text service is 260 per year. The cost is approximately 100 per year for texts the teams send using this service. We get about five per week on average of which one or two are excellent leads.
	In the first 24 hours of the launch on 3 March 2009, 125 calls from around the country and two texts were received. It is estimated that hundreds of people have called the hotline since its launch in the main for debt advice. The Stop Loan Sharks Directgov site has received 1,510 visitors since the launch.

China: Exhibitions

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what funding his Department is making available to businesses wishing to be part of the British pavilion for the Shanghai World Expo 2010.

Gareth Thomas: BERR is not making money available specifically for companies to participate in the British Pavilion at Shanghai Expo. However as part of the regular support for business provided by UKTI, British companies will be able to access funds to participate in sectorally-specific missions or Market Visits organised by UKTI in the regions.

Debt Collection

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will take steps to ensure that debt collection procedures by banks, other financial institutions and their agents adhere to Office of Fair Trading guidelines on proportionality and on reasonableness; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: holding answer 23 March 2009
	Under the Consumer Credit Act 1974, if a business wishes to be involved in consumer lending or related credit activities, including the collection of third party consumer debts, it must have a consumer credit licence. The Office of Fair Trading considers the fitness of businesses who apply for a licence and continues to monitor the fitness and conduct of those who are licensed.
	The Office of Fair Trading debt collection guidance sets out the type of behaviour it considers to fall within the category of unfair business practices which will call into question fitness to be given or retain a consumer credit licence. The guidance applies to all consumer credit licence holders including lenders and debt collectors. It also makes clear that if consumer credit licence holders do business with third parties engaged in unfair business practices, then their own fitness will be called into question.
	The Office of Fair Trading would consider any evidence it receives of consumer credit licence holders failing to adhere to its guidance and has a range of measures that can be applied against such businesses up to and including revocation of the licence. However, any action taken needs to be both evidence based and proportionate to the identified misconduct.
	In April 2008 the Office of Fair Trading received new powers granted to it under the Consumer Credit Act 2006 and since then has issued warnings to 13 companies telling them to take steps to improve their debt collection practices. Most recently the Office of Fair Trading has taken formal action by imposing specific requirements on 1st Credit Limited to improve some of its debt collection processes and procedures.
	Details of all businesses subject to requirements can be found on the consumer credit register at:
	http://www2.crw.gov.uk/pr/Default.aspx

Debts: Enforcement

Greg Hands: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will bring forward proposals to include in the rules relating to debt enforcement a requirement for guidance on those rules to be provided to  (a) debtors and  (b) creditors.

Gareth Thomas: The Office of Fair Trading's debt collection guidance is available on its website at:
	www.oft.gov.uk/advice_and_resources/resource_base/legal/cca/debt-collection
	and is drawn to the attention of consumers who make complaints about the behaviour of consumer credit licensees pursuing debts. As part of its proactive compliance strategy, the Office of Fair Trading conducts a programme of engagements with agencies in the free advice sector in order to raise awareness of the guidance among advisers and consequently among consumers. I am also pleased to note that following my meeting last month with the debt collection trade association, the Credit Services Association, members will be required to flag up in their initial letters to debtors where to go to obtain free debt advice.
	Publicity about enforcement action taken by the Office of Fair Trading further highlights to consumers and businesses the practices it considers to be unfair and therefore incompatible with licence fitness.
	The debt collection guidance will be updated towards the end of 2009 and will clarify the responsibilities of lenders when pursuing or selling on debts. Forthcoming Office of Fair Trading guidance on second charge lending will also outline the principles to be followed when dealing with borrowers in arrears and will be consistent with the debt collection guidance.

Overseas Trade

Michael Penning: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the volume of UK  (a) imports from and  (b) exports to (i) the European Union and (ii) the rest of the world were in (A) the latest year for which figures are available, (B) 2004, (C) 1999, (D) 1994 and (E) 1989.

Gareth Thomas: holding answer 26 March 2009
	 The value of trade, including the Office for National Statistics first estimate for 2008, is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   billion 
			   UK imports of goods and services  UK exports of goods and services 
			   EU27  Rest of world  Total  EU27  Rest of world  Total 
			 2008 238 223 461 208 209 417 
			 2004 188 148 336 158 146 303 
			 1999 142 114 256 132 110 243 
			 1994   186   183 
			 1989   143   124 
			  Note:  Consistent data for trade with the EU27 are not available for years before 1999.  Source:  ONS Balance of Payments

Overseas Trade: China

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what trade agreements between the UK and China  (a) have been concluded in the last 12 months and  (b) are expected to be concluded in the next 12 months.

Gareth Thomas: The European Commission conducts negotiations on trade agreements, under Article 133 of the EC treaty, in consultation with EU member states and on the basis of mandates agreed by the Council of Ministers which also decides whether to adopt such agreements. The EU has not signed any trade agreements with China in the last year and has not proposed any plans to do so in the next year, although negotiations for a partnership and cooperation agreement, which includes trade and investment aspects, are ongoing.

Property Development: Floods

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent discussions the Secretary of State has had with the Association of British Insurers on insurance for  (a) buildings already built and  (b) future building in flood risk areas; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 23 March 2009
	The Secretary of State has not had recent discussions with the Association of British Insurers on these issues.

Street Trading: Public Consultation

Brian Iddon: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he plans to start his consultation on the findings of the street trading and pedlary in Great Britain report; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The Government will publish a consultation document this summer. Taking into account the findings of the report, we will be seeking views on possible changes to street trading and pedlar legislation, and on draft guidance on the current regime.

Syria: Overseas Trade

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform 
	(1)  what the monetary value of Syrian exports to the United Kingdom was in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what the monetary value of trade between Syria and the UK was in each of the last five years.

Gareth Thomas: Data on recorded trade in goods with Syria are shown in the following table:
	
		
			   million 
			   UK exports of  goods to Syria  UK imports of  goods from Syria 
			 2004 89 52 
			 2005 104 132 
			 2006 82 273 
			 2007 72 57 
			 2008 93 117 
			  Source:  HMRC Overseas Trade Statistics. 
		
	
	Estimates of trade in services are not available for the full five years. ONS data published in the UK Balance of Payments Pink Book 2008 were:
	
		
			   million 
			   UK exports of services to Syria  UK imports of services from Syria 
			 2006 25 20 
			 2007 32 14

Trade Unions: Legal Opinion

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Ruislip-Northwood of 27 January 2009,  Official Report, column 580W, on trade unions: legal opinion, if he will place in the Library a copy of the preliminary analysis produced by the Office of Fair Trading on whether trade union members are consumers for the purposes of consumer protection rules.

Gareth Thomas: The Office of Fair Trading carried out a preliminary analysis in response to a complaint about the way in which certain trade unions collect contributions from members to political funds. The OFT decided not to pursue this issue for a number of reasons including a lack of evidence of widespread harm; the limited extent of the beneficial impact on consumers of any intervention; certain legal uncertainties which were finely balanced as to whether trade unions are 'suppliers' or 'sellers' and that members are 'consumers'; and the need to prioritize its activities to best meet its prioritization principles. OFT lawyers contributed to consideration of the matter, but it is not the OFT's practice to release internal legal advice, in line with rules relating to legal professional privilege.

UK Trade and Investment

Gregory Barker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform who the members are of the UK Trade and Investment UK low-carbon sector advisory group.

Gareth Thomas: There is not a low-carbon sector advisory group. As low carbon has bearing on all sectors of the economy, it has relevance to all UKTI sector advisory groups. They were consulted during the development of the strategy, as part of a wider engagement with business and organisations. Stakeholders will continue to shape and inform the strategy through the sector advisory groups and in other ways, such as becoming partners to the strategy.

UK Trade and Investment

Gregory Barker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform who the members are of the UK Trade and Investment UK low-carbon international marketing strategy board.

Gareth Thomas: A large number of businesses and organisations have contributed to the development of the strategy. Partnerships have been formed with a number of these stakeholders to help shape its further development. Governance arrangements for the strategy are still being considered and a marketing strategy board is one of a possible range of options.

UK Trade and Investment

Gregory Barker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the proposed timetable is for the publication of the UK Trade and Investment UK low-carbon international marketing strategy.

Gareth Thomas: On 25 March UKTI will set out the strategy's overarching proposition and next steps, including developing the strategy across sectors during 2009-10, at a partnership event. The event material will be available on the UKTI website (www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk) after the event.

WOMEN AND EQUALITY

Equal Pay: Private Sector

Julie Morgan: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what plans she has to reduce the gender pay gap in the private sector.

Maria Eagle: A key to reducing the gender pay gap is pay transparency. The forthcoming Equality Bill will ensure that employers will not be able to rely on keeping their pay structure secret. We will ban secrecy clauses in employment contracts, so that women can identify unequal pay and seek redress.
	The Bill will also enable employers, where women are under-represented in the workforce, to recruit a woman if she is an equally suitable candidate to a man, so that they can increase diversity in their workforce.
	The Government are also committed to using the spending power of the public sector to deliver greater transparency on important equality issues like gender pay. 175 billion is spent by the public sector on private sector contracts every year. We are therefore looking at ways to use the purchasing power of public bodies to help achieve equality outcomes in the private sector. The Office of Government Commerce has published practical guidance for public procurers on what they can do to promote equality through the way they buy goods and services.
	Through the Bill we will provide for an employment tribunal to be able to make a recommendation, where an employer has been found to have unlawfully discriminated, on how that employer can improve its practices in a way that applies not just to the successful complainant but to everyone in that workplace. This will help prevent similar types of discrimination happening again, so reducing the likelihood of future claims.
	In the light of the Civil Justice Council's report and the specific research commissioned by the Government Equalities Office, we are considering whether there is a case for introducing representative actions for discrimination and equal pay cases. This will feed into wider work being taken forward by the Ministry of Justice looking at the case for representative actions across all jurisdictions of law. We will consult on any proposals for reform.
	The Equality and Human Rights Commission is also conducting a formal inquiry into the financial services sector, as it has evidence suggesting that a high proportion of women working in some areas of financial services are paid less than their male counterparts, and suffer harassment at work. The financial services industry has the largest pay gap between men and women in the private sector at over 40 per cent. with far fewer women in senior roles than in other sectors.

Equality and Human Rights Commission: Official Hospitality

Paul Goodman: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality pursuant to the answer of 6 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1843W, on hospitality: Equality and Human Rights Commission, if she will publish a breakdown by event of the 6,151 spent on hospitality in 2008-09.

Maria Eagle: Due to the way the Commission accounts are structured, it is not possible to break down the amount by individual events. The main components of the 6,151 figure are:
	Hospitality(1): 4,961.69
	Staff expenses(2): 1,189.56
	(1) Refreshments for visitors at EHRC-hosted meetings.
	(2) Refreshments for visitors at EHRC-hosted meetings paid for directly by staff.

Equality Bill 2008-09

Theresa May: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality which organisations she has met to discuss the Equality Bill since 3 December 2008.

Maria Eagle: I, the Minister for Women and Equality, Vera Baird QC MP, Baroness Royall and officials have met with representatives from the third sector, business, unions and most stakeholder groups with an interest in the Equality Bill.

Females: Patients

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality if she will discuss with the Secretary of State for Health measures to ensure that women patients are not discriminated against in the provision of NHS services.

Maria Eagle: The Minister for Women and Equality and the Government Equalities Office are in regular contact with the Department of Health, and work closely together on issues affecting women in the provision of public services. The Department of Health also supports the NHS in meeting its legal duty to promote gender equality.

TREASURY

Banks: Finance

Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Financial Services Authority first informed his Department of potential problems arising from the over exposure of British banks to the house lending market.

Ian Pearson: As the memorandum of understanding between HM Treasury, the Bank of England and the FSA sets out, the tripartite authorities have regular meetings and discussions to work together towards the common objective of financial stability in the UK.

Banks: Finance

Gordon Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 9 March 2009,  Official Report, column 100W, on banks, what progress has been made in liaison between his Department, UK Financial Investments (UKFI) and the boards of banks of which UKFI is a major shareholder on pension arrangements for directors of these banks.

Ian Pearson: holding answer  23 March  2009
	The Treasury and UK Financial Investments Ltd. (UKFI) continue to liaise with the board of the banks of which they are major shareholders on remuneration policy. This includes work to ensure that remuneration policies are in line with the Government's principles on remuneration, including no rewards for failure. Directors' remuneration arrangementsincluding pensions arrangements as appropriateare disclosed in the banks' annual report and accounts.

Banks: Finance

Simon Hughes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment his Department has made of investments in  (a) oil sands and shale oil,  (b) conventional oil projects,  (c) gas projects and  (d) coal-fired power stations by those UK financial institutions that are now majority owned by the Government.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 23 March 2009
	The Government's investments are managed on a commercial basis by UK Financial Investments Ltd. (UKFI), a company which is wholly owned by the Government. Its overarching objectives are to protect and create value for the taxpayer as a shareholder, with due regard to financial stability and acting in a way that promotes competition.

Banks: Regulation

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with  (a) Lloyds TSB and  (b) RBS on (i) the volume of their assets held in each (A) UK dependent territory, (B) UK overseas territory and (iii) Crown dependency; and what information his Department holds on the names of the subsidiaries of each bank registered in each (1) UK dependent territory, (2) UK overseas territory and (3) Crown dependency.

Ian Pearson: Information on subsidiaries is reported by banks in their annual financial statements under international reporting standards.

Banks: Tax Avoidance

Colin Burgon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of the financial institutions and their subsidiary companies which are  (a) wholly and  (b) partly in public ownership have reported tax avoidance schemes to HM Revenue and Customs in each of the last three years; how many schemes each such institution has reported; what discussions he has had on the matter with (i) UK Financial Investments and (ii) the institutions concerned; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 18 March 2009
	 HM Revenue and Customs does not release information about the number of disclosures by individual companies for reasons of confidentiality.
	Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Business: Government Assistance

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which initiatives introduced by his Department since November 2008 to assist  (a) small and medium-sized enterprises and  (b) individuals (i) have been implemented and (ii) remain to be implemented; on what date each of those implemented commenced; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: In the 2008 pre-Budget report HM Treasury introduced a number of measures to assist small and medium-sized enterprises and individuals. These have either been implemented or will come into effect as planned in April 2009.

Business: Standards

Justine Greening: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will direct the Financial Services Authority to publish a list of firms that did not meet its December 2008 deadline for the treating customers fairly scheme.

Ian Pearson: The matter raised in this question is the responsibility of the Financial Services Authority, whose day-to-day operations are independent from Government control and influence. I have asked the FSA to write to the hon. Member.

Child Trust Fund: EU Nationals

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what conditions of eligibility for the child trust fund apply to migrant workers from EU accession states.

Ian Pearson: Children of migrant workers from EU accession states are eligible for a child trust fund account if:
	they were born on or after 1 September 2002;
	have been or are resident in the UK on or after 6 April 2005, while not being subject to immigration controls; and
	have been or are in a child benefit award on or after 6 April 2005, the date the child trust fund scheme was launched.

Departmental Art Works

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which works of art from the Government art collection each Minister in his Department has selected for display in a private office.

Angela Eagle: The information requested has been deposited in the Library of the House.

Departmental Buildings

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies on (i) furniture and (ii) renovation and decoration for departmental buildings in each of the last five years.

Angela Eagle: Details of spending on furniture and fittings for the Treasury Group is shown in the tangible fixed assets note to the annual resource accounts. Copies of the resource accounts are available from
	http://www/.hm-treasury.gov.uk/resource_accounting_and_budgeting_about_us.htm.
	For information on the renovation and decoration of departmental buildings, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 20 January 2009,  Official Report, column 1292W, to the hon. Member for Ilford, North (Mr. Scott).

Departmental Manpower

Greg Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many members of the Prime Minister's  (a) Strategy Unit and  (b) Delivery Unit have a desk allocated in each other Government department.

Yvette Cooper: PMDU has one desk allocated for the Head of Unit in Number 10 and none anywhere else.
	PMSU (which is part of the Cabinet Office) has three people using desks at DCSF (full time) and two people using desks part time at Home Office (one person four days per week and another 2.5 days per week). PMSU has no desks allocated to them anywhere else.

Departmental Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what properties  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have sold in each of the last five years; and how many have been sold for housing developments.

Angela Eagle: For details of properties disposed of by HM Treasury prior to 2007-08, I refer to the answer given to the hon. Member by my right hon. Friend the former Financial Secretary (John Healey) on 5 June 2007,  Official Report, column 465W. The Treasury disposed of one property in 2007-08. None of the Treasury disposals were for housing developments. Treasury agencies disposed of one property in 2005-06, in Stanmore, Middlesex, which was for a housing development.

EU Budget

James Gray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the UK's net contribution to the EU budget has been in each year since 1994.

Ian Pearson: Details of the United Kingdom's net contribution to the EC budget can be found in HM Treasury's annual European Community Finances White Paper. Table 3, page 51 of the 2008 White Paper (Cm 7462) of 10 September 2008, which is available in the House Library and also on the following website:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk./documents/international_ issues/eu_information/int_eu_statefraud.cfm
	contains these data in respect of years 2002 to 2007, with an estimate for 2008. Data for earlier years can be found in the equivalent table of previous editions of the White Paper.

Members: Correspondence

Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Northavon of 3 December 2008 on behalf of Mr. P Deegan of Bradley Stoke, on annuities.

Ian Pearson: I have replied to the hon. Member.

Members: Correspondence

Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Northavon of 8 December 2008 on behalf of Mrs. J Gray of Wick, on winter fuel allowance for disabled children.

Stephen Timms: There was no trace of receipt of the letter of 8 December. A copy has been requested and received and a reply should be sent shortly.

Members: Correspondence

Andrew Selous: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter of 1 December 2008 from the hon. Member for South West Bedfordshire regarding his constituent, Mr. Brumwell.

Ian Pearson: A reply has been sent to the hon. Member.

Private Finance Initiative

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 3 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 47-48WS, on Government infrastructure investment, what rate of return on capital he is prepared to permit in private finance initiative projects supported by 100 per cent. senior debt lending by his Department.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 26 March 2009,  Official Report, column 632W.

Public Expenditure

William Hague: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total amount of additional funds transferred to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office under the Overseas Price Mechanism was in each financial year since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: The relevant changes to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's RDEL were set out in successive Supplementary Estimates.

Tax Allowances: Redundancy Pay

Charles Walker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will increase the 30,000 tax free limit for redundancy payments.

Stephen Timms: As with all taxes, the threshold at which tax is paid on redundancy payments is kept under review.

TNT: Taxation

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations the Government received from TNT in respect of the UK tax regime between 1997 and 2003.

Stephen Timms: Treasury Ministers and officials receive representations from a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such representations.

OLYMPICS

Olympic Games 2012: Gun Sports

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Minister for the Olympics if she will place in the Library the further report on the Olympic shooting venue commissioned by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games for submission to the International Olympic Committee; what estimate the ODA have made of the merits of holding the Olympic shooting events at  (a) Bisley,  (b) Barking,  (c) Woolwich and  (d) elsewhere; and what the cost to the public purse of the report was.

Tessa Jowell: The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) undertook detailed feasibility work on the location of the London 2012 shooting venue and presented their findings to the Olympic Board at its meeting on 19 March.
	For continuing reasons of commercial sensitivity and so as not to prejudice the ODA's and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games' discussions and negotiations on contracts they have not awarded for temporary venues, I am unable to place a copy of the ODA's detailed feasibility work in the Library of the House at this time.
	The cost of the feasibility work was undertaken by ODA staff as part of their core business activity.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Departmental Energy

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps have been taken by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agency to improve the thermal efficiency of their buildings in the last 12 months.

Barbara Follett: No steps have been taken by the Department in the last 12 months. However during the refurbishment of its Cockspur street building in 2007-08 the Department took the opportunity to upgrade its lighting facilities, to install new boilers, chillers, air handling and fan coil units.
	When carrying out building refurbishments over the past 12 months, The Royal Parks has taken the opportunity to install or upgrade secondary glazing, install modern and more efficient heating systems and boilers, introduce thermostatic controls to radiators, and, where possible, lay floor insulation.
	There has been one new build in the Royal Parks in the past twelve months, which was designed in accordance with the Building Regulations Part L.

Departmental Energy

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent progress his Department has made towards the target of increasing its energy efficiency per square metre of its Estate by 15 per cent. by 2010, relative to 1999-2000 levels; and if he will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: The Department has implemented a series of measures to ensure progress against the target of increasing its energy efficiency. We have already met and exceeded the target by 12 per cent.
	The target is managed and tracked through our ISO14001 accredited Environmental Management System.

Departmental Public Appointments

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which former  (a) hon. Members who left Parliament since 1997 and  (b) Members of the House of Lords from each party have been appointed to positions on public bodies within his Department's responsibility; and who made each appointment.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 26 March 2009
	Information on board membership appears in the annual report and accounts published by individual public bodies.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much capital spending is planned to be brought forward by his Department to  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10.

Andy Burnham: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 27 January 2009,  Official Report, column 356W.

Digital Broadcasting

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking to help those on low incomes update television sets in preparation for the digital switchover.

Andy Burnham: The Government and the BBC have set up a Digital Switchover Help Scheme which targets help for those groups likely to have the greatest need. Research has indicated that cost is not the main barrier to take-up of digital TV and that older pensioners and disabled people may have the most difficulty switching.
	The Help Scheme covers households where one person is aged 75 or over, or has a severe disability, or is registered blind or partially sighted and anyone who is normally resident in a care home. Help is free within these groups for those on pension credit, income support or income-based jobseeker's allowance.
	The scheme provides easy-to-use equipment that suits a person's needs. It also provides help with installing the equipment, including where necessary a new dish or aerial, and an easy-to-understand demonstration of how everything works. The scheme also ensures that there will be someone that people can call for help while they are getting used to digital television.

Digital Broadcasting

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking to inform the public about the digital switchover.

Andy Burnham: Digital UK is responsible for informing the public about switchover and for providing general information about the Switchover Help Scheme. Key elements of Digital UK's communications campaign include information leaflets sent to every home, advertising, roadshows and on-screen captions broadcast to analogue homes during the six months before a switchover.
	The Help Scheme is run by the BBC, under an agreement with the Government, to help older and disabled people make the change to digital TV. Every eligible person will be offered practical help to convert one of their TV sets to digital in the run-up to switchover in each region.
	Digital UK is also working with local charities to provide information, advice and support to those who are not eligible for the Help Scheme but may need some extra help in managing the switchover process. Digital UK has contracted with Digital Outreach Ltd. to deliver this service in the first four TV regions to switchBorder, West Country, Wales and Granada.

Digital Broadcasting

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent estimate he has made of the number of households fully prepared for the digital switchover.

Andy Burnham: The Ofcom/Digital UK switchover tracker survey for the fourth quarter of 2008 estimated that 63 per cent. of all UK households had switched all of their televisions to digital.

Film and Video Games

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many of his Department's officials work on policy to assist the  (a) film and  (b) video games development industry.

Barbara Follett: The current full-time equivalent (FTE) number of officials working on policy to assist the film industry is 3.7.
	The current full-time equivalent (FTE) number of officials working on policy to assist the video games industry is 1.5.

Hague Convention

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans there are for legislation to introduce the provisions of the Hague Convention; and if he will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: The Government intend to introduce the Cultural Property (Armed Conflicts) Bill, which will enable the UK to ratify the Hague Convention, as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Historic Buildings

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many publicly owned buildings are included on English Heritage's Heritage at Risk register.

Barbara Follett: holding answer 27 March 2009
	200 publicly-owned grade I and grade II* listed buildings and structural scheduled monuments nationally, and a further 95 grade II listed buildings in London, were included on their 2008 Heritage at Risk Register.

Legislation

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which provisions of primary legislation for which his Department is responsible enacted in each of the last 10 years have yet to be brought into force.

Barbara Follett: All of the Acts introduced by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in the last 10 years have been brought into force. However not all of the enactments contained in those Acts have been brought into force. These are as follows:
	The Communications Act 2003sections 272 to 274 (must offer obligations affecting public service television) and sections 299 to 300 (sporting and other events of national interest).
	The Licensing Act 2003two consequential amendments in Schedule 6paragraphs 98 and 99(c), which by reason of the drafting do not achieve the intended effect.
	The Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery Act 2004various enactments are not in force mainly relating to the sale of the Tote and the Horserace Betting Levy system.
	The Gambling Act 2005the vast majority has been brought into force except for sections 7(5)(a), 159 to 165,175(2) to (8), 204 and Schedule 9 in so far as they relate to premises licences for regional casinos.
	The National Lottery Act 2006section 5 which concerns annual fees and some provisions relating to the Channel Islands and Schedule 1 which sets out the reserve licensing structure to allow the National Lottery Commission to issue more then one licence to operate and promote the lotteries forming part of the National Lottery.
	The London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Act 2006sections 13 to 16 which relate to the regulation of transport during the Games and section 39(1) and paragraph 13 of Schedule 3 which amend legislation repealed since the passing of the Act.

Museums

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of people who have visited a publicly funded museum in the last 12 months.

Barbara Follett: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) collects visitor figures from the museums and galleries that it sponsors. While the figures for the full year 2008-09 are not yet available, DCMS estimates that 40 million visits will have been made to DCMS-funded museums and galleries by the end of the 2008-09 financial year.

Museums

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many museums he has visited in an official capacity in the last 12 months.

Andy Burnham: In the last 12 months I have visited 12 museums in an official capacity.

Television

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of households unable to receive Channel Five; and what steps his Department is taking to increase coverage.

Andy Burnham: Approximately 80 per cent. of the UK population can currently receive analogue terrestrial Channel Five services. After digital switchover, it is expected that 98.5 per cent. of UK households will be able to receive Channel Five.

Television: Standards

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make an assessment of levels of use of blasphemous language in television programmes.

Andy Burnham: Responsibility for what is broadcast on television and radio rests with the broadcasters and the organisations which regulate broadcastingthe Office of Communications (Ofcom), the BBC Trust and the Welsh Fourth Channel Authority (S4C)within the overall framework set by the Communications Act 2003 and the BBC Charter and Agreement.
	In relation to broadcasting, Parliament has charged Ofcom with maintaining standards, notably to protect children and to protect the general public from harmful and offensive material. The Ofcom Broadcasting Code therefore sets out the rules with which broadcasters must comply. Ofcom also produce guidance notes to assist broadcasters interpret and apply the Broadcasting Code. In addition, the BBC's editorial guidelines provide clear advice on the standards expected of all BBC content on television and radio. The S4C Compliance Guidelines also provide guidance on the standards expected of all content broadcast on S4C.
	Within this framework, it is the broadcasters' job to make judgments about what individual programmes should contain and the time at which they are broadcast. It is a long-standing principle that the Government do not interfere in programme matters, either on arrangements for scheduling or on content.

Video Games: Finance

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much financial assistance the Government has provided to the video games industry since 1997.

Barbara Follett: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. We do not have the specific figures broken down by sector or year.
	However, the video games industry has access to Government support in a number of different ways. Examples include research and development tax credits and support from the Technology Strategy Board, which funded the Creative Industries Technology and Innovation Network. Direct support from UK Trade and Investment is also available, including that for trade missions.
	Additional support is also available from the regional development agencies and the regional screen agencies, this takes the form of financial assistance to individual games companies, funding of sector-specific networks, funding of sector support and incubation initiatives through universities and take-up of business support activities by computer games companies.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Biofuels: Renewables Obligation

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change under what circumstances biogas production is eligible for renewables obligation certificates.

Mike O'Brien: Under the reforms to the renewables obligation that will come into effect on 1 April, biogas produced through anaerobic digestion will receive two renewables obligation certificates (ROCs)/MWh. Sewage gas will receive 0.5 ROCs/MWh, and landfill gas will receive 0.25 ROCs/MWh.
	In addition, we are currently considering the inclusion of biogas under the renewable heat incentive, which we are aiming to introduce in April 2011.

Carbon Trust

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his role in the appointments of members of the board of  (a) the Carbon Trust and  (b) the Energy Saving Trust is.

Joan Ruddock: The Energy Saving Trust is a private company. Members of the board are appointed in line with its Articles of Association. The Government have no role in appointing members to the board.
	The Carbon Trust is a private company. Under its articles of association, the Secretaries of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, both appoint one member to the Carbon Trust board. Following the creation of DECC in October 2008, DECC assumed responsibility for sponsorship of the Carbon Trust from DEFRA. We are in discussions with Carbon Trust to consider amendments to the current arrangements for board membership which are necessitated by the creation of DECC.
	Other members of the board are appointed in line with Carbon Trust's articles of association, which are publicly available at the Companies Registry.

Carbon Trust and Energy Saving Trust

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much funding from the public purse was provided to the  (a) Carbon Trust and  (b) Energy Saving Trust in each of the last five years.

Joan Ruddock: Carbon Trust funding from the public purse, from 2003-04 to 2007-08, was as follows:
	
		
			
			 2003-04 59,770,000 
			 2004-05 63,331,000 
			 2005-06 71,838,000 
			 2006-07 96,247,000 
			 2007-08 (1)119,324,000 
			 (1) Includes 14,001,000 of accrued incomei.e. income payable to the Carbon Trust under arrangements for 2007-08, but disbursed in 2008-09 when funds were required. 
		
	
	This includes funding from BERR, DEFRA, and the Devolved Administrations.
	Energy Saving Trust funding from the public purse, from 2003-04 to 2007-08, was as follows:
	
		
			  As published in the Energy Saving Trust Limited's audited accounts 
			  000 
			   Funding from public purse for the year ended 31 March 
			   2008  2007  2006  2005  2004 
			 DEFRA 29,800 43,227 33,710 34,449 30,533 
			 DfT 8,526 7,811 9,902 22,655 30,575 
			 BERR/Dti 6,466 14,469 8,481 6,940 3,253 
			 Scottish Government 10,149 8,358 6,082 7,676 6,328 
			 Total 54,941 73,865 58,175 71,720 70,689

Carbon Trust: Public Relations

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with which public affairs companies  (a) the Carbon Trust and  (b) the Energy Saving Trust entered into contracts in 2008.

Joan Ruddock: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the Minister of State for the Department of Energy and Climate Change on 25 March 2009,  Official Report, column 497W.

Climate Change

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will re-assess his estimate of the rate of global warming to take account of data demonstrating that the 2008-09 winter was the coldest in the UK for almost 20 years.

Joan Ruddock: The rate of global warming is reflected in the long-term trend in global average temperature. Observations collated at the Met Office Hadley Centre and the university of East Anglia Climate Research Unit indicate that this rate has been approximately 0.13 C per decade over the past 50 years. Natural weather variability will always mean that, despite the presence of an underlying warming trend, some colder than average winters will occur in the UK. These events are fully consistent with our understanding of climate change and are included in the underlying dataset that is used to calculate the rate of global warming at the end of each calendar year. However, they do not have a significant effect on the long-term trend in global average temperature and thus do not necessitate a change in our estimate of the rate of global warming. Furthermore, the scientific evidence indicates that global average temperatures will continue to rise in the long-term if greenhouse gas emissions continue.

Climate Change Summit

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many staff of his Department attended the Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen in 2009.

Joan Ruddock: holding  answer 24 March 2009
	Two senior scientists from the Department attended the International Congress on Climate Change: Global Risks, Challenges and Decisions held in Copenhagen.

Climate Change Summit

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many staff of his Department attended the International Climate Change Conference in New York in 2009.

Joan Ruddock: holding  answer 24 March 2009
	No staff from the Department of Energy and Climate Change attended the 2009 international conference on climate change in New York, organised by the Heartland Institute. This event was predominantly aimed at environmental sceptics.
	It ran almost concurrently with the international scientific conference on climate change, supported by the Government of Denmark, in Copenhagen. This mainstream event attracted some 2,000 scientists and experts, including many leaders in their fields, and therefore took priority for our officials.

Coal

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the tonnage of coal burnt in the UK in each year since 1990.

Mike O'Brien: The tonnage of coal consumed in the UK between 1990 and 2007 is given in the table. Figures for 2008 will be published on 30 July 2009.
	
		
			  Coal Consumption in the UK, 1990-2007 
			   Coal consumption (thousand tonnes) 
			 1990 108,256 
			 1991 107,513 
			 1992 100,580 
			 1993 86,757 
			 1994 81,767 
			 1995 76,942 
			 1996 71,400 
			 1997 63,080 
			 1998 63,152 
			 1999 55,724 
			 2000 59,931 
			 2001 63,850 
			 2002 58,554 
			 2003 63,023 
			 2004 60,450 
			 2005 61,832 
			 2006 67,388 
			 2007 62,886 
			  Source:  Digest of UK Energy Statistics 2008 (Internet version). Chapter 2: Solid fuel and derived gases, Long Term Trends.

Committee on Radioactive Waste Management

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what information his Department holds on  (a) levels of participation in stakeholder meetings held by the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management and  (b) the reimbursement of travel costs for participants in such meetings; and if he will take steps to increase public access to such meetings.

Mike O'Brien: The independent Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) provides independent scrutiny of the Government's and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's proposals, plans and programmes to deliver geological disposal, together with robust interim storage, as the long-term option for the UK's higher activity radioactive waste.
	CoRWM are well known for their positive approach to public and stakeholder engagement and information on participation at specific stakeholder events is placed on their website (www.corwm.org.uk) within published meeting reports.
	It is CoRWM practice to reimburse reasonable travel, subsistence or accommodation costs. The committee also carefully consider the timing and location of events in order to help stakeholders to participate more easily.

Community Energy Saving Programme

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 26 February 2009,  Official Report, column 918W, on Community Energy Saving Programme, when he expects to publish the final order for the Community Energy Saving Programme; and when he expects this order to come into force.

Joan Ruddock: A draft statutory instrument is now available on the DECC website. Consultation on the CESP proposals closes on 8 May, and the Government will then need to consider the responses received carefully. We hope to lay the final statutory instrument before Parliament this summer, with a view to the scheme coming into force later in 2009.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his Department's budget is for  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11.

Mike O'Brien: The total departmental expenditure limit budget for the Department of Energy and Climate Change for  (a) 2009-10 is 2,859 million and for  (b) 2010-11 is 2,910 million. The annually managed expenditure Budget is set one year at a time via the main estimate laid before Parliament early in the new fiscal year.

Departmental Responsibilities

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department has a central strategy team.

Mike O'Brien: Yes.

Departmental Translation Services

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many language translators are employed in  (a) his Department and  (b) its non-ministerial departments; and what the cost of translating services provided by such people was in the latest period for which information is available.

Mike O'Brien: Responsibility for employing language translators is delegated to the Department's different business units. As such there is no central record of language translators and the Department would incur a disproportionate cost if it were to compile such a record.

Electricit de France

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what information he has received on the operations of European Union anti-trust inspectors on the offices of Electricit de France (EDF) in Brussels on 11 March, in respect of EDF's proposals to build nuclear power plants in the UK.

Gareth Thomas: I have been asked to reply.
	Ministers do not receive information on unannounced inspections by the European Commission, Directorate-General Competition, or, for that matter, by national competition authorities. The broad details of inspections are confirmed in official statements by the independent competition authority concerned. In this particular case we know from the European Commission's statement of 11 March 2009 that:
	'on 10 March Commission officials carried out unannounced inspections at the premises of the electricity company EDF in France in respect of prices on the French wholesale electricity market'.

Electricity Generation

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the UK's electricity supply capacity margin; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The UK's electricity supply capacity margin can be calculated as the difference between the UK's electricity supply capacity available to the transmission network and the UK's peak demand. 2007 is the latest year for which data are available. 2008 data will be available on 30 July 2009. In 2007, the UK's capacity available to the transmission network was 75,190 MW, while the peak demand met was 61,527 MW. This indicates a margin of 13,663 MW, approximately 22.2 per cent. of demand.

Energy: Advisory Services

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 9 March 2009,  Official Report, column 56W, on energy: advisory services, what the address of each energy saving trust advice centre is.

Joan Ruddock: The address details of the 16 Energy Saving Trust regional advice centres that are funded by my Department are listed as follows:
	
		
			   Address 
			 London Energy Saving Trust advice centre CEN, 8th Floor, Ambassador House, Brigstock Road, Thornton Heath, Surrey CR7 7JG 
			 East Midlands Energy Saving Trust advice centre Hestia, 1st Floor Granby House, 44 Friar Lane, Nottingham NG1 6DQ 
			 Wales Energy Saving Trust advice centre Energy Saving Trust, 1 Caspian Point, Caspian Way, Cardiff Bay, South Wales CF10 4DQ 
			 Northern Ireland Energy Saving Trust advice centre Bryson House,1-11 May Street, Belfast BT1 4NA 
			 North East Energy Saving Trust advice centre TADEA, 18B Manor Way, Belasis Hall Technology Park, Billingham  TS23 4HN 
			 Merseyside and Cheshire Energy Saving Trust advice centre Energy Projects Plus, The Sandon Building, Falkland Road, Wallasey, Wirral CH44 8ER 
			 Greater Manchester Energy Saving Trust advice centre Manchester City Council, 4th Floor, Basil House, 105-107 Portland Street, Manchester M1 6DF 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire Energy Saving Trust advice centre TADEA, 12C Alanbrooke Road, Rosehill, Carlisle CA1 2UT 
			 North Yorks and Humber Energy Saving Trust advice centre Ryedale Energy Conservation Group Ltd., 20 George Hudson Street, York YO1 6WR 
			 South and West Yorks Energy Saving Trust advice centre Kirklees Energy Services, 12 Byram Buildings, Stration Street, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire HD1 1LS 
			 Thames Valley and Solent advice centre USEA, National Energy Centre, Davey Avenue, Knowhill, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire MK5 8NG 
			 Kent, Surrey and Sussex Energy Saving Trust advice centre CEN, 3rd Floor, International House, Dover Place, Ashford, Kent TN23 1HU 
			 West Midlands Energy Saving Trust advice centre Hestia, European Business Park, Taylors Lane, Oldbury, West Midlands  B69 2BN 
			 East of England Energy Saving Trust advice centre 1 Climate Energy, Echotech Centre, Turbine Way, Swaffham, Norfolk PE37 7HT 
			 East of England Energy Saving Trust advice centre 2 Climate Energy, Countrywide House, Freebournes Road, Witham, Essex  CM8 3UN 
			 South and West Yorks Energy Saving Trust advice centre (Devon, Swindon, Cornwall and Bristol, and Somerset hubs) Energy Advice South West Ltd., c/o South Crofty House, Tolvaddon Energy Park, Cambourne, Cornwall TR14 0HX

Environmental Transformation Fund

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 12 February 2009,  Official Report, column 2161W, on Environmental Transformation Fund, by what date he expects to sign the trust fund arrangement with the World Bank.

Joan Ruddock: This arrangement, known officially as the Contribution Arrangement between the World Bank (the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development) and the United Kingdom acting through the Department for International Development and my Department was signed on 26 March.

Forest Carbon Partnership Facility

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change who represents the Government on the governing body of the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility.

Joan Ruddock: Both the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the Department for International Development (DFID) jointly represent the UK at meetings of the Participant's Committee of the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility.

Forestry

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he plans to take to ensure that an international agreement on reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation does not result in countries which have rainforest receiving funding for the replacement of natural forests with plantations.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 26 March 2009
	The Bali Action Plan recognised the relevant provisions of the convention on biological diversity (CBD) as well as other international agreements to ensure that the maximum environmental benefits of paying for the carbon mitigation services of forests are achieved. The UK has been leading the way in looking at this. Dr. Bob Watson, DEFRA Chief Scientist, chaired a meeting of experts on biodiversity and climate change to provide biodiversity-relevant information to the UNFCCC. The first part of this work was already presented to the UNFCCC in Poznan, and the next meeting will be held in April.
	Primary forests are generally more carbon dense, biologically diverse and resilient than other forest ecosystems. The December EU Council Conclusions supported the use of gross deforestation rates. This would include only primary forest in a country's forest reference level and so countries would not be compensated for replacing natural forests with plantations.

Forestry

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what funding his Department has provided to assist developing countries to participate in international negotiations associated with forestry and climate change.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 26 March 2009
	The UK provided 40,000 to support developing countries' attendance at a meeting of the Coalition of Rainforest Nations(1) on developing a shared position on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) ahead of the twelfth United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the parties meeting in Nairobi in 2006. An additional 60,000 was provided by the UK to support developing countries' participation in a REDD international negotiators workshop in Indonesia in October 2007. These meetings were essential to make progress on the issue ahead of the thirteenth UNFCCC Conference of the Parties meeting in Bali in December 2007. The UK is supporting central African countries' consideration of their approach on forests and climate change in preparation for the climate change talks in Copenhagen in December this year.
	(1) Countries include: Bangladesh, Belize, Bolivia, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Congo, Colombia, Costa Rica, DR Congo, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, El Salvador, Fiji, Gabon, Ghana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Indonesia, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Suriname, Thailand, Uruguay, Uganda, Vanuatu and Vietnam.

Forests: Carbon Emissions

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what funding for forest protection as a measure of reducing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere he has allocated to  (a) plantations,  (b) agriculture and  (c) reforestation in each of the next three years.

Joan Ruddock: No specific funds are allocated by my Department towards domestic forestry protection. Funding for domestic forestry is the responsibility of the Forestry Commission and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
	Internationally, funds for carbon sequestration are not split into the three categories mentioned in the question, but significant funding is given to forestry. At the climate change negotiations in Poznan last December the UK announced up to 100 million to support such work. This is in addition to a 15 million contribution to the World Bank forest carbon partnership facility which assists developing countries in working out how they can participate in and benefit from evolving incentive mechanisms to avoid deforestation. The UK has also committed 60 million to help reduce deforestation and poverty in the Congo Basin.

Framework Convention on Climate Change Committee

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many of his Department's staff attended the recent press briefing in New York by Mr. Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change on the climate change conference in Copenhagen.

Joan Ruddock: No staff from the Department of Energy and Climate Change attended the recent press briefing in New York by Yvo de Boer on the international climate change conference in Copenhagen.

Fuel Poverty

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households with at least one person with a long-term illness or disability were estimated to be in fuel poverty at the latest date for which information is available.

Joan Ruddock: The most recently available fuel poverty statistics relate to 2006. These show that in England, there were around 915,000 fuel poor households that contained somebody with a long-term sickness or disability.

Heating

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has to include the replacement of circulation pumps in proposals to enhance home energy efficiency.

Joan Ruddock: A forthcoming implementing measure on circulators under the Ecodesign for Energy using Products (EuP) Framework Directive proposes stringent minimum efficiency standards for circulators from 2013. Our initial analysis of the Commission proposals suggests that such a measure would lead to significant energy savings. The measure is due to be voted on at a meeting of the Regulatory Committee on 27 March.

Natural Gas

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the average daily demand for gas was in the last year for which figures are available; and what the average daily demand for gas was in  (a) winter and  (b) summer months of that year.

Mike O'Brien: Average daily demand can be calculated as total annual demand divided by the number of days in the year. The latest year for which figures are available is 2007.Data for 2008 will be available on 30 July 2009. Total natural gas demand in 2007 was 1,056,846 GWh. The average daily demand for natural gas in 2007 was, therefore, 2,895 GWh.
	Total demand in the two winter quarters of 2007 was 652,906, giving an average daily demand of 3,587 GWh. Total demand in the two summer quarters of 2007 was 403,940 GWh, giving an average daily demand of 2,207 GWh.

Parliament: Energy Conservation

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will hold discussions with the authorities of  (a) the House of Commons and  (b) the House of Lords on measures to reduce energy loss from the Parliamentary estate.

Joan Ruddock: The Carbon Trust, which is sponsored and funded by the Department of Energy and Climate Change, is working with parliamentary estates staff in seeking to improve the energy efficiency of the parliamentary estate. Following the development of a carbon management plan for Portcullis House in March 2008, the Trust has been considering next steps with parliamentary estates on how to improve the energy efficiency of the Palace of Westminster.
	In addition, the Office of Government Commerce's Centre of Expertise in Sustainable Procurement (CESP) holds bi-monthly practitioner forums to support central Government staff working to improve the sustainability of the Government estate, its operations and procurement. CESP has recently engaged with the parliamentary estates team, providing support and guidance on sustainability targets. CESP has extended an invitation to the parliamentary estates team to attend future practitioner events.

Public Bodies

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which public bodies have received funding from his Department since its establishment; and how much each  (a) has received in 2008-09 and  (b) has been allocated for each year from 2009-10 to 2013-14.

Mike O'Brien: The public bodies with grant-in-aid funding in 2008-09 are tabled as follows:
	
		
			million 
			 Nuclear Decommissioning Authority 1,686 
			 Coal Authority 37.3 
			 Civil Nuclear Policy Authority 1 
			 Committee on Climate Change 1.7 
		
	
	Grant-in-aid funding for those public bodies for 2009-10 to 2013-14 will be set by the annual Parliamentary Main Estimate.

Renewable Energy: Waste

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will make an estimate of the potential contribution of gas produced by community-based anaerobic digesters to the supply of domestic energy.

Joan Ruddock: The Government have not carried out an analysis based on potential by size of anaerobic digestion plant but rather on technical potential available by feedstock. This initial analysis, published in the Government's Consultation on a Renewable Energy Strategy, suggests that the anaerobic digestion of food waste, livestock slurries, sewage sludge and energy crops to produce biogas could, technically, contribute approximately 10-20 TWh of heat and power by 2020. This represents up to about 8 per cent. of the renewable energy we estimate will be required by 2020.

Warm Front Scheme

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many Warm Front installations there have been in each of the last five years; what the cost to the public purse of such installations was in each such year; how many such installations have been undertaken by eaga and its subsidiaries in each such year; and at what cost.

Joan Ruddock: The number of households assisted by Warm Front in each of the last five years was as follows:
	
		
			   Households assisted 
			 2004-05 208,084 
			 2005-06 173,184 
			 2006-07 253,079 
			 2007-08 268,900 
			 2008-09(1) 181,897 
			 (1) To January 2009.  
		
	
	The budget allocated by the Department to Warm Front in each of the last five years was as follows:
	
		
			million 
			 2004-05 166 
			 2005-06 192 
			 2006-07 320 
			 2007-08 350 
			 2008-09 395 
		
	
	When eaga won the competitive tender to deliver Warm Front across all of England in 2005, they agreed with the Department that up to 30 per cent. of scheme capacity could be undertaken by eaga's in-house contractors. The cost and percentage of scheme capacity completed by eaga's in-house contractors since this role was assumed in 2005 has been:
	
		
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			   12 months  12 months  12 months  10 months 
			 Total cost of measures () 111,490,172 180,722,278 221,727,693 184,933,404 
			 Measures delivered by eaga inhouse capacity () 12,039,141 41,820,582 66,250,397 54,954,419 
			 Percentage of work 11 23 30 30

Warm Front Scheme

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the proportion of successful applicants to the Warm Front scheme who topped-up the grant with funds from other sources in the latest period for which figures are available.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 24 March 2009
	The latest period for which figures are available is April 2008 to February 2009. These figures are as follows:
	
		
			  Scheme year 2008-09 
			   Number 
			 Households assisted 211,920 
			 Households where a client contribution was paid 41,586

Warm Front Scheme

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the percentage of successful applicants to the Warm Front scheme who were in fuel poverty in the latest period for which figures are available.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 24 March 2009
	According to the English House Condition survey of 2006, at least 25 per cent. of all vulnerable households eligible for the scheme were fuel poor. It is likely, however, that many of the residual number may have otherwise fallen into, or have been near falling into fuel poverty, as a result of gas and electricity price increases in 2007 and 2008.

Warm Front Scheme

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many applications were made for grants under the Warm Front scheme in each year from 2000 to 2008.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 24 March 2009
	Prior to 2005, the scheme was managed in separate areas by Eaga and Powergen TXU and consolidated figures are not available for this period. The number of applications made since the start of the current phase of the Warm Front scheme in 2005 are as follows:
	
		
			  Scheme year  Total applications to Warm Front 
			 2005-06 195,876 
			 2006-07 336,666 
			 2007-08 388,326 
			 2008-09(1) 301,529 
			 Total 1,222,397 
			 (1) To 28 February

Warm Front Scheme

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 9 March 2009,  Official Report, column 59W, on the Warm Front scheme, what estimate he has made of the number of eligible households which are classified as being in fuel poverty.

Joan Ruddock: According to the English House Condition survey of 2006, at least 25 per cent. of all vulnerable households eligible for the scheme were fuel poor and approximately 3.3 million households were eligible for assistance. Given these figures, the Department estimates that approximately 825,00 households eligible for the scheme at this time were fuel poor. It is likely, however, that many of the residual number may have otherwise fallen into, or have been near falling into fuel poverty, as a result of gas and electricity price increases in 2007 and 2008.

Warm Front Scheme: East Sussex

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many of the households supplied with light bulbs under the Warm Front scheme in  (a) Eastbourne and  (b) East Sussex received bulbs which were classified as energy-efficient in each of the last nine years.

Joan Ruddock: All households who have applied and been found eligible for Warm Front in Eastbourne and East Sussex received light bulbs which were energy efficient. A break down is provided as follows:
	
		
			   Eastbourne  East Sussex 
			 2000-01 151 1,371 
			 2001-02 336 3,688 
			 2002-03 567 3,801 
			 2003-04 438 2,834 
			 2004-05 530 3,595 
			 2005-06 417 2,241 
			 2006-07 542 3,387 
			 2007-08 300 3,230 
			 2008-09 313 2,686 
			 Total 3,594 26,833

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animal Experiments: Primates

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the cost of using  (a) F1 and  (b) F2 primates in (i) pharmaceutical testing and (ii) other common areas of testing.

Meg Hillier: No estimates have yet been made of the cost of using F1 and F2 generation non-human primates bred for research purposes under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in either pharmaceutical testing or other common areas of testing.
	We will consider these costs in assessing the impact of the European Commission's proposal for a draft directive for the protection of animals used in scientific procedures to replace Directive 86/609/EEC published in November 2008. We will publish the impact assessment when we consult formally on the draft directive.

Asylum

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the immigration status of the asylum seeker with the Home Office reference M1225028 was on 2 April 2007.

Phil Woolas: The UK Border Agency replied to the hon. Member on 11 December 2008.

Asylum

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the immigration status of the asylum seeker with Home Office reference Y1062497 was on 2 April 2007.

Phil Woolas: The UK Border Agency replied to the hon. Member on 11 December 2008.

Asylum

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many outstanding cases the UK Border Agency's Case Resolution Directorate had at the latest date for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: A previous Home Secretary informed Parliament in July 2006 of
	the immigration and nationality directorate's case load of around 400,000 to 450,000 electronic and paper records, which, as honourable Members also know, are riddled with duplication and errors, and include cases of individuals who have since died or left the country, or are now EU citizens... We will tackle the case load in the IND with the aim of clearing it-not in 25 years, as has been suggested, but in five or less.[ Official Report, 19 July 2006, Vol 449, c.324.]
	In her update to the Home Affairs Select Committee, Lin Homer, the UK Border Agency chief executive has stated that 130,000 cases have now been concluded up to the end of October 2008. The number of conclusions has increased to 155,500 as at 9 January 2009. The Case Resolution Directorate is on track to complete all cases by summer 2011.

Asylum

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases the UK Border Agency's Case Resolution Directorate has resolved in each month since it was established, broken down by  (a) applicants granted leave,  (b) applicants refused leave,  (c) cases withdrawn by the applicant and  (d) cases closed on administrative grounds.

Phil Woolas: The Case Resolution Directorate in the period July to November 2007 had total conclusions of 52,000 cases and this is broken down as 19,000 were grants, 16,000 were removals and 17,000 were other conclusions such as errors and duplicates.
	Between 1 December 2007 and 31 May 2008 the Case Resolution Directorate total conclusions were 90,000 and this is broken down as 39,000 were grants, 20,000 were removals and 32,000 were other conclusions where there were errors or duplicates found in the system.
	Between 1 June 2008 and 31 October 2008 the Case Resolution Directorate total conclusions had reached 130,000 and this is broken down as 51,000 grants, 23,500 removals and 53,500 other conclusions such as errors and duplicates on the system.
	To obtain the information on withdrawn claims as applicants often do withdraw their claim would involve a detailed examination of our case records and so this would involve a disproportionate cost.

Asylum

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of applicants granted leave by the UK Border Agency's Case Resolution Directorate were granted  (a) temporary and  (b) permanent leave to remain.

Phil Woolas: We do not hold this information in this format and to obtain it would entail work being carried out at a disproportionate cost.

Asylum

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases the UK Border Agency's Case Resolution Directorate planned to resolve in each quarter of 2008.

Phil Woolas: We are prioritising cases likely to cause harm, cases facing removal and cases likely to be granted, and these cases take considerably more casework time than others such as errors or duplicates. The Case Resolution Directorate has ramped up performance in dealing with the asylum legacy cases and is now resolving several thousand every month. Up to 9 January 2009 they had concluded 155,500 cases, up from 130,000 case conclusions reported in December 2008.

Asylum: Deportation

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department to which countries her Department cannot return unsuccessful asylum seekers on humanitarian grounds; and how many unsuccessful asylum seekers from each such country were present in the United Kingdom on 1 November 2008.

Phil Woolas: There are no countries to which there is a blanket approach of not returning failed asylum seekers on humanitarian grounds. The Government believe that the right approach is to consider the protection needs of individuals on an individual basis.
	Each asylum and human rights claim is considered on its individual merits in accordance with our international obligations and taking full account of conditions in the country concerned as they impact on the individual. Those found to be in need of international protection are provided with it. Failed asylum seekers of all nationalities who have been found by the Home Office and the appeals process not to be in need of international protection and have no legal basis of stay in the UK are expected to return to their country of origin and may have their removal enforced.

Asylum: Housing

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 16 March 2009,  Official Report, column 915W, on asylum: housing, how many properties are covered by the 28 contracts with providers to supply accommodation for asylum seekers.

Phil Woolas: Information on the number of properties covered by the UK Border Agency's 28 contracts with accommodation providers to supply accommodation for asylum seekers could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Asylum: Palestinians

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed asylum seekers there are in the UK from  (a) the Palestinian territories and  (b) the Gaza Strip who have not been granted leave to remain and for which the Government have no removal plans; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: Since the phasing out of embarkation controls in 1994 no Government have been able to produce accurate figures for the number of failed asylum seekers who have remained in the United Kingdom after they have reached the Appeal Rights Exhausted stage, have not been granted leave to remain and no longer have any further claim to remain here. This applies irrespective of an individual's nationality or place of origin.
	All asylum claims including those from individuals from the Palestinian territories (including the Gaza strip) are considered on their individual merits in accordance with our obligations under the 1951 refugee convention and the European convention on human rights. Those identified by the decision-making process and the independent appeals process not to be in need of international protection are expected to leave the UK voluntarily. Failed asylum seekers can and do voluntarily return to the Palestinian territories (including the Gaza strip). Those who do not leave voluntarily may have their return enforced.

Asylum: Palestinians

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed asylum seekers there are in the UK from  (a) the Palestinian territories and  (b) the Gaza Strip awaiting a decision on a new claim for asylum and for which the Government have no removal plans; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: Information on the number of failed asylum seekers who have made further submissions on their case which are still awaiting consideration can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. This applies irrespective of an individual's nationality or place of origin. Further submissions will only be classed as a fresh claim retrospectively following their full consideration where the submissions meet the criteria set out in paragraph 353 of the Immigration Rules.
	All asylum claims including those from individuals from the Palestinian territories (including the Gaza strip) are considered on their individual merits in accordance with our obligations under the 1951 refugee convention and the European convention on human rights. Those identified by the decision-making process and the independent appeals process as not being in need of international protection are expected to leave the UK voluntarily. Failed asylum seekers can and do voluntarily return to the Palestinian territories (including the Gaza strip). Those who do not leave voluntarily may have their return enforced.
	However, the UK Border Agency will not enforce the return of a failed asylum seeker who has made further submissions in their case as long as those submissions, including any appeal if the submissions are accepted as a fresh claim, remain pending. Again, this applies irrespective of an individual's nationality or place or origin.

Asylum: Sexual Offences

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers on entry into the UK have used  (a) sexual assault,  (b) rape and  (c) gender-based violence as the basis for their asylum claim in each year since 2001.

Jacqui Smith: The requested information is unavailable as it is not collated centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost by examination of individual case records.
	Information on asylum is published annually and quarterly. Statistics for the first quarter of 2009 will be available in May 2009 from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html

Borders: Personal Records

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects the e-Borders system to have captured  (a) 100 million and  (b) 200 million passenger movements; and when she expects the system will have captured 20 million passenger movements utilising passenger name record data.

Phil Woolas: The UK Border Agency expects the e-Borders system will capture:
	 (a) 100 million passengers per year by June 2009.
	 (b) 200 million passengers per year by December 2010.
	The capture of an additional 20 million passenger movements, utilising passenger name record data, will be achieved by December 2010.

Cannabis

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 24 February 2009,  Official Report, column 673W, on cannabis, where illegal drugs used for police training purposes are  (a) obtained and  (b) stored; and what guidance her Department has issued to police forces on such matters.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 10 March 2009
	Cannabis is the only drug where smell and touch cannot be replicated. Other illegal drugs are represented by facsimiles that are purchased by police forces as a dummy box.
	Cannabis is obtained from confiscations which are marked for destruction once the respective case is closed.
	The illegal drugs are stored in property stores, the majority of which are located at respective police force headquarters. Property stores are strong, locked rooms with separate drugs cabinets. These are under the control and supervision of the Serious Organised Crime Agency. Close supervision is exercised by a senior officer to ensure proper removal, use and replacement of the substances. Release can be obtained only by authorised drug trainers.

Crime

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many instances of  (a) firearms incidents,  (b) licensing incidents,  (c) suspicious circumstances and  (d) truancy, as defined by the National Incident Category List, were recorded by each police force in 2007-08.

Jacqui Smith: The data requested are shown in the table. The data are normally used for management information only and are not subject to the detailed checks that apply for National Statistics publications. The data are provisional and may be subject to change.
	As part of the reviews of the burdens the Home Office places on police forces, the National Incident Category List has been simplified for 2009, with a 33 per cent. reduction in complexity, leading to a significant decrease in the data demand placed on forces.
	
		
			  2007-08 
			Firearms  Licensing  Suspicious circumstances  Truancy 
			 F01 Avon and Somerset 946 151 33,619 53 
			 F02 Bedfordshire 649 65 19,252 8 
			 F03 Cambridgeshire 115 60 18,324 33 
			 F04 Cheshire 593 390 24,794 178 
			 F05 City of London(1) (2) (2) (2) (2) 
			 F06 Cleveland 273 159 27,775 34 
			 F07 Cumbria 626 358 15,657 90 
			 F08 Derbyshire 724 435 31,791 48 
			 F09 Devon and Cornwall 702 83 26,750 84 
			 F10 Dorset 172 114 19,667 51 
			 F11 Durham 474 28 18,540 15 
			 F12 Dyfed Powys 64 60 10,897 72 
			 F13 Essex 478 505 43,060 5 
			 F14 Gloucestershire 83 150 17,919 38 
			 F15 Greater Manchester 725 745 88,233 54 
			 F16 Gwent 289 246 11,317 51 
			 F17 Hampshire 1,005 69 24,834 26 
			 F18 Hertfordshire 1,906 184 35,829 20 
			 F19 Humberside 577 211 23,933 118 
			 F20 Kent 1,527 242 62,254 53 
			 F21 Lancashire 1,119 551 65,973 514 
			 F22 Leicestershire 338 102 22,930 14 
			 F23 Lincolnshire 1,440 101 15,936 38 
			 F24 Merseyside 183 759 61,963 42 
			 F25 Metropolitan police(1) (2) (2) (2) (2) 
			 F26 Norfolk 416 113 20,154 32 
			 F27 Northamptonshire 203 81 19,067 10 
			 F28 Northumbria 2,273 565 31,117 80 
			 F29 North Wales 236 198 23,115 68 
			 F30 North Yorkshire 412 94 19,410 66 
			 F31 Nottinghamshire 1,024 202 45,418 22 
			 F32 South Wales 1,161 167 19,464 25 
			 F33 South Yorkshire 824 209 40,107 13 
			 F34 Staffordshire 1,581 118 22,129 33 
			 F35 Suffolk 228 58 14,424 (2) 
			 F36 Surrey 197 215 22,857 45 
			 F37 Sussex 1,031 279 33,949 43 
			 F38 Thames Valley 517 78 53,905 29 
			 F39 Warwickshire 123 46 12,004 6 
			 F40 West Mercia 368 54 38,312 95 
			 F41 West Midlands 420 887 89,164 66 
			 F42 West Yorkshire 313 164 68,074 116 
			 F43 Wiltshire 203 26 10,022 98 
			 (1) At the start of 2007-08 the Metropolitan Police Service and City of London Police had implemented NSIR in respect of incidents recorded under antisocial behaviour only.  (2 )These data are not available.

Crime Prevention

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to publish the results of the most recently completed crime and disorder reduction partnerships survey.

Jacqui Smith: We do not publish an annual crime and disorder reduction partnerships (CDRPs) survey. Under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, CDRPs had previously been required to report annually to the Secretary of State on the partnerships work and progress. This duty was repealed in 2007.

Departmental Buildings

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what properties  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies have sold in each of the last five years; and how many have been sold for housing developments.

Phil Woolas: The Home Office including its agencies leases the majority of its estate. However Horseferry House London SW1 was sold in July 2005 for office use, and as part of the PFI for 2 Marsham Street London SW1 surplus land was sold in May 2004 for housing and other purposes. The former RAF Coltishall was transferred to the Ministry of Justice in 2008.

Departmental Contracts

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the monetary value of new external contracts let by Home Office Research, Development and Statistics to  (a) institutions supported by higher education funding councils and  (b) other organisations and bodies was in each financial year since 2001.

Jacqui Smith: Table (a) gives the total costs, based on centrally held management information, of new contracts let by the Research, Development and Statistics Procurement (now part of Science and Research Group Procurement) group within the Home Office since 2001. From 2007-08 the values exclude research that was transferred to the Ministry of Justice as part of the machinery of Government changes. The values are classified into the year the contracts were let; some of the costs for the contract would be for future years.
	
		
			   Value () 
			 2001-02 12,657,116 
			 2002-03 17,758,993 
			 2003-04 20,139,267 
			 2004-05 10,334,876 
			 2005-06 4,439,257 
			 2006-07 14,589,931 
			 2007-08(1) 16,925,401 
			 2008-09(1) 2,858,229 
			 (1) 2007-08 and 2008-09 exclude Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	Table (b) gives the total costs of new contracts let by the Research, Development and Statistics Procurement group within the Home Office since 2001 to institutions supported by higher education funding councils. The values are classified into the year the contracts were let; some of the costs for the contract would be for future years.
	
		
			   Value () 
			 2001-02 9,043,351 
			 2002-03 1,420,941 
			 2003-04 3,297,858 
			 2004-05 3,365,441 
			 2005-06 618,275 
			 2006-07 769,592 
			 2007-08(1) 221,268 
			 2008-09(1) 291,800 
			 (1) 2007-08 and 2008-09 exclude Ministry of justice 
		
	
	Table (c) gives the total costs of new contracts let by the Research Development and Statistics group within the Home Office since 2001 to 'other organisations and bodies' including named individuals. These values may include contracts awarded to individuals who, while employed by an institute supported by the higher education funding councils, are undertaking work in a private capacity. The values are classified into the year the contracts were let; some of the costs for the contract would be for future years.
	
		
			   Value () 
			 2001-02 21,700,467 
			 2002-03 19,179,935 
			 2003-04 23,437,125 
			 2004-05 13,700,317 
			 2005-06 5,057,532 
			 2006-07 15,359,523 
			 2007-08(1) 17,146,669 
			 2008-09(1) 3,150,029 
			 (1 )2007-08 and 2008-09 exclude Ministry of Justice

Departmental Pay

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many bonuses were awarded to senior civil servants working at her Department and its agencies in  (a) 2007 and  (b) 2008; and how much was spent on such bonuses in each of those years.

Phil Woolas: Bonuses to senior staff in the Home Office are awarded each year according to criteria set by the Government, following the recommendations from the independent Senior Salaries Review Body. In 2006-07 and 2007-08, the Review Body recommended bonuses should be paid to between 60 and 75 per cent. of senior staff according to performance, with a bonus pot of 7.6 per cent. in 2006-07 and 8.6 per cent. in 2007-08. These recommendations were accepted by the Government.
	In line with these recommendations, the Home Office awarded bonuses to 158 senior staff in 2006-07 (70 per cent. of the total) and 128 staff in 2007-08 (74 per cent. of a smaller total, reflecting the transfer of staff to the Ministry of Justice). Bonuses were mainly in the range 3,000 to 10,000 in 2006-07 and 6,000 to 17,000 in 2007-08, with a small number of higher bonuses paid to a handful of exceptional performers.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much capital spending is planned to be brought forward by her Department to  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10.

Phil Woolas: As announced in the pre-Budget report on 24 November 2008 20 million of capital expenditure has been brought forward from 2010-11 to 2009-10 to improve the estates of the Serious Organised Crime Agency and the National Police Improvement Agency, developing and installing high technology systems and enhancing intelligence gathering against serious organised crime.

Departmental Standards

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the cost to her Department of measuring compliance with its targets under its public service agreements in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: Measuring compliance with PSA targets is an integral aspect of the Home Office's performance management framework. The Department does not treat this as an activity for which costs are allocated or monitored separately.

Departmental Training

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department has spent on the provision of training to Ministers and civil servants in each of the last three years.

Phil Woolas: The Home Office is committed to learning and development to enhance capability and further improve its effectiveness.
	Figures on training for Ministers and civil servants in the Home Office in each of the last three years are as follows:
	
		
			
			 2008-09 (1)14,232,000 
			 2007-08 17,018,000 
			 2006-07 13,161,000 
			 (1 )Latest available. 
		
	
	These figures do not include all of the spend incurred locally on learning and development activities within specific business areas, which could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Detainees: Immigration

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people of each nationality held in immigration removal centres have been detained for more than a year in each year since 2001.

Jacqui Smith: Information on all persons detained for more than one year is not held centrally and would be available only through the detailed examination of individual case files at disproportionate cost.
	The following table shows the numbers of persons detained within the UK Border Agency detention estate solely under immigration act powers for more than one year on a snapshot basis as at the last Saturday of each year (i.e. of those detained on that particular day, the numbers of whom had been detained for over a year), from 2001 to 2008, broken down by country of nationality.
	National statistics on persons detained solely under immigration act powers on a snapshot basis are published quarterly. This information is published in Tables 9-11 of the control of immigration: Quarterly statistical summary, United Kingdom bulletins which are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html
	
		
			  Persons recorded as being in detention in the United Kingdom solely under immigration act powers for more than one year( 1) , by country of nationality as at the last Saturday of each year, 2001-2008( 2,3) 
			  Number of persons 
			  Country of nationality  29 Dec. 2001( 4)  28 Dec. 2002( 4)  27 Dec. 2003( 4)  25 Dec. 2004  31 Dec. 2005  30 Dec. 2006  29 Dec. 2007  27 Dec. 2008( 5) 
			 Albania  n/a n/a  
			 Macedonia  n/a n/a  
			 Moldova  n/a n/a  
			 Russia   *   n/a n/a * 
			 Turkey *  * *  n/a n/a * 
			 Ukraine  * 5 *  n/a n/a  
			 EU Accession States(6) * n/a n/a  
			 Other Former USSR  n/a n/a  
			 Other Europe* * n/a n/a * 
			 Total Europe * * 5 5 * n/a n/a 5 
			  
			 Bolivia  n/a n/a  
			 Brazil  n/a n/a  
			 Canada  n/a n/a  
			 Colombia * n/a n/a * 
			 Ecuador  n/a n/a  
			 Jamaica   * 10 5 n/a n/a 10 
			 Mexico  n/a n/a  
			 USA  n/a n/a * 
			 Other Americas  *n/a n/a  
			 Total Americas * * * 10 5 n/a n/a 15 
			  
			 Algeria 10 5 5 5 5 n/a n/a 10 
			 Angola *5 n/a n/a 5 
			 Burundi * n/a n/a  
			 Cameroon* * n/a n/a  
			 Congo*  n/a n/a  
			 Democratic Republic of Congo  *  * * n/a n/a 5 
			 Eritrea*  n/a n/a 5 
			 Ethiopia* * n/a n/a * 
			 Gambia * n/a n/a * 
			 Ghana *  * * * n/a n/a * 
			 Ivory Coast   * *  n/a n/a * 
			 Kenya 5 *n/a n/a * 
			 Liberia  n/a n/a * 
			 Libya *  *   n/a n/a * 
			 Mauritius  n/a n/a  
			 Nigeria * * * 5 * n/a n/a 10 
			 Rwanda  n/a n/a  
			 Sierra Leone * n/a n/a * 
			 Somalia* * n/a n/a 20 
			 South Africa* * n/a n/a  
			 Sudan * n/a n/a 5 
			 Tanzania  5 * *  n/a n/a  
			 Uganda  n/a n/a * 
			 Zimbabwe  n/a n/a 5 
			 Other Africa * * *  * n/a n/a 5 
			 Total Africa 15 15 10 20 25 n/a n/a 85 
			  
			 Iran ** n/a n/a 15 
			 Iraq * n/a n/a 10 
			 Syria  n/a n/a  
			 Other Middle East  n/a n/a * 
			 Total Middle East *5 n/a n/a 25 
			  
			 Afghanistan  n/a n/a * 
			 Australia  n/a n/a  
			 Bangladesh  *   * n/a n/a * 
			 China (including Taiwan) 5 * * * 5 n/a n/a 10 
			 India *   5 * n/a n/a 5 
			 Malaysia  n/a n/a  
			 New Zealand  n/a n/a  
			 Pakistan 5  5 * 5 n/a n/a * 
			 Philippines  n/a n/a  
			 South Korea  n/a n/a  
			 Sri Lanka 5 * * 5  n/a n/a 5 
			 Thailand  n/a n/a  
			 Vietnam  n/a n/a 5 
			 Other Asia and Oceania * n/a n/a  
			 Total Asia and Oceania 15 5 5 15 10 n/a n/a 25 
			  
			 Other and not known  n/a n/a  
			  
			 Grand Total 35 20 25 45 40 n/a n/a 150 
			 n/a = Not available. Following a change in the system in which information is collected, published statistics on all persons detained under sole immigration act powers by length of detention are not available for December 2006 and 2007. (1) Relates to most recent period of sole detention. (2) Figures rounded to the nearest 5 ( = 0, * = 1 or 2), may not sum to the totals shown because of independent rounding and exclude persons detained in police cells, prison service establishments and those detained under both criminal and immigration powers. (3) Figures include dependants. (4) Figures exclude those detained in Oakington Reception Centre; where persons have been transferred to and subsequently from Oakington, excludes time in detention prior to transfer from Oakington. (5) Figures are based on management information. This information has not been quality assured under national statistics protocols, is subject to change and should be treated as provisional. (6) EU accession states: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.

Detainees: Women

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) women and  (b) children held in immigration removal centres have identified themselves as being subject to (i) sexual assault, (ii) rape and (iii) gender-based violence in their country of origin.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not collected centrally and could be obtained through examination of individual records only at disproportionate cost.

Dogs

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many dogs for the detection of  (a) drugs,  (b) foodstuffs and  (c) other illegal imports are in use at (i) sea, (ii) air and (iii) rail points of entry to the UK.

Phil Woolas: The UK Border Agency currently has 48 dogs trained to detect drugs, six trained to detect meat and other animal products and 34 to detect other illegal imports. Some of these dogs are trained to detect more than one product.
	Detector dogs are a flexible mobile resource, deployed on a risk-assessed, intelligence-led basis. They may be used at any port, airport or other point of entry into the UK.

Eddie Gilfoyle

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what  (a) inquiries and  (b) disciplinary measures have been taken following the response of Merseyside Police to (i) the Police Complaints Authority in 1994 and (ii) freedom of information requests made by  T he Times newspaper on police notes from the crime scene in the case of Mr. Eddie Gilfoyle.

Jacqui Smith: The PCA supervised two separate investigations carried out by Detective Superintendent Gooch of Lancashire police, and Detective Superintendent Mellor of Cheshire police, into complaints made by members of the Gilfoyle family. As a result of Detective Superintendent Gooch's report, two Merseyside officers faced discipline charges. Following a five-day panel hearing in May 1998, all charges were dismissed. No disciplinary action was taken as a result of Superintendent Mellor's report.
	I understand that the Merseyside Police is currently conducting an internal review of their handling of the recent FOI request from  T he Times. This is an operational matter for the Chief Constable.

Emergency Calls

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to reduce the number of hoax 999 calls made to the police.

Vernon Coaker: Hoax 999 calls to the police cause the wasteful misdirection of their resources which are better used in serving the public. There are a range of measures available to the police including prosecution under the Communications Act 2003 and the Criminal Law Act 1967, the issue of fixed penalty notice for disorder and the issue of antisocial behaviour orders. Police forces can and do make use of these measures. Nationally, the National Policing Improvement Agency provides central advice and guidance to the police.

Entry Clearances: Business

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how the UK Border Agency will check that a foreign national entering the country as a business visitor does not work whilst in the UK.

Phil Woolas: Visa nationals seeking to enter the United Kingdom as business visitors need to satisfy the entry clearance officer and, along with non-visa nationals, the immigration officer that they meet the requirements for business visitors in the immigration rules. The rules include a requirement that the person is intending to undertake a permissible business visitor activity in the UK.
	The UK Border Agency is committed to tackling illegal migrant working and will act on any intelligence it receives that a business is employing illegal workers. Those individuals who are found to be working in breach of their granted leave may be subject to appropriate enforcement action.
	Equally, if an employer is found to be employing an illegal migrant worker and they have not ensured that the person has full entitlement to work in the UK, then they may be subject to a civil penalty of up to 10,000 or, in more serious cases, criminal prosecution. If convicted on indictment, the employer may face an unlimited fine and in some cases, imprisonment for up to two years.

Entry Clearances: Business

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what records UK Border Agency will keep of the companies that receive individuals who have entered the UK as a business visitor to act as advisers, consultants, trainers or trouble shooters for those companies.

Phil Woolas: The UK Border Agency does not keep records of companies that have received persons who have entered the UK as a business visitor.

Identity Cards: Foreigners

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether foreign nationals applying overseas for visas to remain in the UK for a period greater than three months will also be required to apply for an identity card prior to their arrival in the UK.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 9 December  2008
	 : Under current plans, from 2011 there will be complete coverage for all new applicants, which includes those coming to the UK on visas valid for more than six months. Those applying for leave for six months or less will not be required to apply for an identity card.
	This is set out in detail in the Government's report on its roll-out strategy for identity cards for foreign nationals, 'Introducing Compulsory Identity Cards For Foreign Nationals', published in March 2008
	http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/managingourborders/compulsoryidcards
	A hard copy of the report was placed in the Library of the House of Commons.

Immigration Controls: Foreign Workers

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether a resident labour market test will apply to the movement of workers to the UK under Mode 4 of the General Agreement on Trade in Services.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 2 February 2009
	A resident labour market test will not apply to the movement of workers to the United Kingdom under Mode 4 of the General Agreement on Trade in Services.

Immigration Controls: Overseas Students

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions her Department had with educational institutions in its preparation of the requirements placed upon higher and further education institutions under Tier 4 of the 2008 changes to immigration rules.

Phil Woolas: The phased implementation of Tier 4 of the Points Based System, which has been agreed with the education sector and DIUS, commenced on 28 July 2008, when the UK Border Agency started accepting sponsor licence applications from educational institutions that wish to bring students from outside the European Economic Area to the UK for study. The Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules (HC 314) laid before the House on 9 March 2009 marks the start of the second phase: from 31 March 2009, only UK Border Agency licensed institutions will be able to bring students to the UK, and student applicants will need to meet the Tier 4 points test before being granted leave to enter or remain.
	The Joint Education Taskforce (JET) is the UK Border Agency's principal mechanism for consultation with the education sector and has been running since 2005. The JET comprises senior figures and representative bodies from all parts of the education sector, including higher and further education, and it and its sub-groups meet on a regular basis.
	The UK Border Agency has engaged intensively with the education sector, through sector-wide forums to meetings with individual educational institutions. In addition, the UK Border Agency ran a series of events across the UK, specific to the education sector, during November and December 2008 and will continue to run targeted communications and events throughout 2009.

Mosques

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints were received by the police alleging corporal punishment in mosques in England and Wales in 2008.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is not collected centrally.

National DNA Database: Children

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children's DNA records have been removed from the national DNA database since the database was established.

Jacqui Smith: Following my announcement on 16 December 2008 that children's profiles would no longer be retained on the NDNAD, a total of 96 profiles belonging to children under 10 have been deleted from the NDNAD. At 5 March 2009, none of the profiles stored on the NDNAD by police forces in England and Wales were of children aged under 10 years old.

Olympic Games 2012: Security

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the implications of the recent terrorist attacks in Lahore for the security of the London 2012 Olympics.

Vernon Coaker: The impact of the tragic events in Pakistan will be considered as a part of our planning for the security of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and we will continue to monitor our position between now and 2012; but this is exactly why our planning approach is based on information, intelligence and risk and remains flexible.

Performing Arts

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department has engaged any  (a) actors,  (b) musicians and  (c) other performers to support its initiatives over the last five years.

Phil Woolas: The Home Office use a considerable number of actors who appear in TV commercials, provide voiceovers on radio adverts, appear on online adverts, or appear in street theatre (experiential marketing); however, the Department's record/financial systems are not able to identify this information within the disproportionate cost threshold.

Police: Electronic Equipment

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many hand-held devices have been issued to police officers and police community support officers by South Yorkshire Police Authority.

Vernon Coaker: As at 12 March 2009, the number of devices issued in South Yorkshire was 354.

Police: Marketing

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent on the advertising and marketing of the Policing Pledge in England and Wales.

Jacqui Smith: The Home Office are currently running a campaign to raise awareness and understanding of the Policing Pledge in order to help people feel safe in their communities by building public confidence in the police service.
	This includes a text-back service where the public text pledge and their postcode to 66101 in order to receive contact details for their local Neighbourhood Policing Team.
	The Home Office media spend on the advertising and marketing of the Policing Pledge in England and Wales in the 2008-09 financial year is 3,427,521.00.

Prisoners: Foreigners

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) adult and  (b) young offender foreign national prisoners were held in prison under immigration powers beyond the expiration of their sentence in each of the last 10 years.

Phil Woolas: Historical annual figures on the numbers of adult and young offender foreign national prisoners who are detained in prisons beyond the expiration of their sentence are not centrally collated. This information can be obtained only through the detailed examination of individual records at disproportionate cost.
	The chief executive of the UK Border Agency has regularly written to the Home Affairs Select Committee in order to provide all of the most robust and accurate information on the detention and deportation of foreign national prisoners. She has advised the committee that the majority of individuals who are subject to deportation action are transferred into the UK Border Agency detention estate in order to facilitate their removal/deportation. Such transfers take place on a regular basis. In her letter of 23 July 2008 she advised that there was, at the time, a total of 1,650 foreign national prisoners detained for that purpose in both the agency's detention estate and the prison estate.

Security Guards: Licensing

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether applicants for a Security Industry Authority licence  (a) are required and  (b) have previously been required to have a health and safety at work qualification in order to be granted a licence.

Jacqui Smith: The training and qualifications that applicants must obtain in order for the Security Industry Authority to grant a licence include an appropriate health and safety content. However, there is not, nor has there been in the past, a requirement for applicants to hold a specific health and safety at work qualification.
	Further information on the requirements for training and qualifications is on the SIA's website at:
	http://www.the-sia.org.uk/home/training/

Written Questions: Government Responses

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to answer question 251383, tabled on 22 January 2009, on ICT projects; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: I replied to the hon. Member on 24 March 2009,  Official Report, column 299W.

Young People: Police Custody

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many juveniles were detained in police cells overnight in  (a) Eastbourne and  (b) East Sussex in each year of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: Information on persons detained in police cells overnight is not collected centrally.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Alastair Campbell

Greg Hands: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when Alastair Campbell's security pass for 10 Downing Street was withdrawn.

Kevin Brennan: It has been the practice of successive Governments not to comment on security matters.

Childbirth

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what estimate the Office for National Statistics has made of the number of births in each of the years from 2008 to 2031 inclusive; and what estimate it has made of the number of those accounted for by net migration.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated March 2009:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your question regarding what estimate the Office for National Statistics has made of the number of births in each of the years from 2008 to 2031, inclusive; and what estimate it has made of the number of those accounted for by net migration.
	The attached table shows the projected number of births in the UK for each year from mid-2008 to mid-2031 according to the 2006-based principal national population projection.
	A direct estimate of the number of projected births from 2008 to 2031 accounted for by net migration is not available. However, it is possible to compare the results of the principal projection with the 2006-based 'zero migration' variant projection. The 'zero migration' variant projection assumes that net migration will be zero at all ages throughout the projection period but makes the same assumptions about future fertility and mortality as the principal projection.
	On this basis, the table also shows the estimated number of projected births attributable to assumed net migration from mid-2006 onwards. There are limitations to this as a direct estimate of the impact of net migration on the number of births over the period 2008-2031. These limitations are that the comparison will:
	exclude births to migrants who arrived in the UK prior to mid-2006; but
	include, in later years, births to UK-born women who are children of migrants who arrived in the UK after mid-2006.
	
		
			  Projected number of births, United Kingdom, 2008 to 2031, 2006-based principal projection and zero migration variant projection 
			  Thousand 
			  Year to:  Principal projection: Births  Zero migration variant projection: Births  Difference: Births accounted for by assumed net migration from mid-2006 
			 mid-2008 769 756 13 
			 mid-2009 781 757 23 
			 mid-2010 790 756 34 
			 mid-2011 797 753 44 
			 mid-2012 799 745 54 
			 mid-2013 799 735 64 
			 mid-2014 798 726 73 
			 mid-2015 799 717 81 
			 mid-2016 801 711 90 
			 mid-2017 804 706 98 
			 mid-2018 805 700 105 
			 mid-2019 806 695 111 
			 mid-2020 806 689 117 
			 mid-2021 804 682 122 
			 mid-2022 802 676 125 
			 mid-2023 799 670 129 
			 mid-2024 796 665 131 
			 mid-2025 794 660 133 
			 mid-2026 792 657 135 
			 mid-2027 790 653 137 
			 mid-2028 788 650 139 
			 mid-2029 788 647 140 
			 mid-2030 788 645 142 
			 mid-2031 788 643 145 
			  Note: Figures may not sum due to rounding.

Community Development: Finance

Anthony Steen: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many grants have been made annually by the Active Communities Unit since May 2006; how much that represented; and how many grants were given to anti-trafficking non-governmental organisations.

Kevin Brennan: In May 2006 the Office of the Third Sector (OTS) was created in the Cabinet Office, incorporating the responsibilities of the active communities directorate in the Home Office and the social enterprise unit in the former Department for Trade and Industry.
	In 2006-07 and 2007-08 the OTS did not make any grants to anti-trafficking non- governmental organisations.
	Information about 2008-09 will only be available when the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts are laid before Parliament. This is expected to be before summer recess.

Death: Drugs

Ian Gibson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many deaths by overdose from drugs in Class  (a) A,  (b) B and  (c) C there were in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many deaths by overdose from drugs in class  (a) A,  (b) B and  (c) C there were in the last 12 months for which figures are available. (267865)
	The table attached provides the number of deaths where any drug in class  (a) A,  (b) B and  (c) C was mentioned on the death certificate, in England and Wales, for 2007 (the latest year available).
	
		
			  Table 1. Number of deaths attributed to drug poisoning( 1)  where a drug classified to class A, B or C was mentioned on the death certificate,( 2)  England and Wales,( 3)  2007( 4) 
			   Persons 
			  Class  Deaths 
			 A 1,374 
			 B 70 
			 C 225 
			 (1) Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). Deaths were included where the underlying cause was due to drug poisoning (corresponding ICD-10 codes are shown in Box 1) and where a drug classified as A, B or C was mentioned on the death certificate. (2) Some deaths may be counted in more than one category, for example if heroin and cannabis are recorded on the death certificate the death will be counted once under class A and once under class B. (3) Figures include deaths of non residents. (4) Figures are for deaths registered in 2007. 
		
	
	
		
			  Box 1. International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) and Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes used to define drug-related poisoning deaths by underlying cause 
			  Description  ICD-10 
			 Mental and behavioural disorders due to drug use (excluding alcohol and tobacco) F11-F16, F18-F19 
			 Accidental poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances X40-X44 
			 Intentional self-poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances X60-X64 
			 Assault by drugs, medicaments and biological substances X85 
			 Poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances, undetermined intent Y10-Y14

Death: Malnutrition

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster for how many deaths of people in each age group malnutrition was given as a cause of death in each of the last 10 years.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated March 2009
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking for how many deaths of people in each age group malnutrition was given as a cause of death in each of the last 10 years. (267439)
	The attached table provides the numbers of deaths in each age group where malnutrition or effects of hunger were mentioned on the death certificate, in England and Wales, for the years 1998 to 2007 (the latest year available).
	
		
			  Table 1. Deaths from malnutrition and effects of hunger( 1) , by age group, England and Wales( 2) , 1998 to 2007( 3) 
			  Deaths (persons) 
			  Age group  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Under 1 1 2 5 3 2 2 2 0 2 1 
			 01-04 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 05-09 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 
			 10-14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 
			 15-19 3 0 2 4 1 2 0 0 2 1 
			 20-24 1 3 2 2 1 2 1 0 0 0 
			 25-29 3 2 3 3 3 1 2 2 0 3 
			 30-34 5 4 3 2 4 6 1 4 2 5 
			 35-39 3 2 7 6 6 2 5 4 7 8 
			 40-44 8 5 5 5 5 8 4 4 7 8 
			 45-49 9 12 10 6 9 12 14 11 9 22 
			 50-54 12 10 9 10 11 15 14 12 21 14 
			 55-59 10 16 13 8 18 14 12 16 22 25 
			 60-64 11 20 22 8 9 26 15 20 17 27 
			 65-69 27 28 27 17 23 15 21 16 32 24 
			 70-74 32 43 32 19 31 24 24 36 35 22 
			 75-79 46 44 55 49 38 44 46 30 52 49 
			 80-84 60 66 41 42 53 36 50 55 48 60 
			 85+ 102 93 88 72 80 71 70 69 88 82 
			
			 Total 334 351 325 256 294 280 282 280 344 353 
			 (1) Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes 260-269 (malnutrition) and E904.1 (effects of hunger) for the years 1998 to 2000, and the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes E40-E46 (malnutrition) and T73.0 (effects of hunger) for 2001 onwards. Deaths were included where one of these causes was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate. The introduction of ICD-10 in 2001 means that the numbers of deaths from each cause before 2001 are not completely comparable with later years. (2) Figures include deaths of non-residents. (3) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year.

Departmental Energy

Greg Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much  (a) electricity,  (b) gas and  (c) other fuel was used by (i) the Cabinet Office and (ii) each of its agencies in each of the last 10 years.

Kevin Brennan: The Cabinet Office introduced comprehensive utility monitoring arrangements in 2004-05. Accurate data are not available prior to this period. Complete information for the current financial year will not be available until the accounts are closed.
	
		
			  KWh 
			   Gas  Electricity  Whitehall district heating system (WDHS) 
			 2004-05 n/a 9,776.640 3,369.778 
			 2005-06 2,440.610 10,490.545 4,554.737 
			 2006-07 4,394.090 11,125.531 3,013.634 
			 2007-08 2,966.985 10,222.068 3,474.356

Departmental Recycling

Robert Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much and what proportion of its waste  (a) his Department and  (b) the Prime Minister's Office recycled in each of the last five years.

Kevin Brennan: The Prime Minister's Office forms an integral part of the Cabinet Office. The Cabinet Office's total facilities management (TFM) contract is with EcovertFM.
	The Cabinet Office began recording comprehensive waste data in 2002-03. The weight and proportion of waste recycled by the Cabinet Office over the last five years is shown in the table:
	
		
			   Total waste recycled (tonnes)  Proportion recycled (percentage) 
			 2003-04 607.75 51.63 
			 2004-05 808.12 56.09 
			 2005-06 798.50 59.68 
			 2006-07 682.03 64.98 
			 2007-08 665.64 64.16

Employment

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 1666-7W, on employment, how many and what proportion of  (a) UK born UK nationals,  (b) non-UK born UK nationals,  (c) UK born non-UK nationals and  (d) non-UK born non-UK nationals there were in the working population in each year since 1997.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated March 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2009, Official Report, columns 1666-7W, on employment, how many and what proportion of (a) UK born UK nationals, (b) non-UK born UK nationals, (c) UK born non-UK nationals and (d) non-UK born non-UK nationals there were in the working population in each year since 1997. (267739)
	The requested information is shown in the attached table.
	The estimates are derived from the Labour Force Survey. As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. This is assessed in a footnote to the table.
	The figures in the table are derived from the LFS microdata which are weighted using the official population estimates published in autumn 2007. Consequently the 2007 and 2008 estimates are not entirely consistent with the figures published in the monthly Labour Market Statistics First Release, or the non-UK born employment figures published every quarter, which are weighted using more up-to-date population estimates.
	
		
			  People aged 16 and over in employment by nationality and country of birth, three month period ending December, 1997-2008United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted 
			   UK born UK nationals  Non-UK born UK nationals  UK born non-UK nationals  Non-UK born non-UK nationals 
			   Number (thousand)  As a percentage of all people in employment  Number (thousand)  As a percentage of all people in employment  Number (thousand)  As a percentage of all people in employment  Number (thousand)  As a percentage of all people in employment 
			 1997 24,664 92 1,025 4   988 4 
			 1998 24,861 92 1,093 4   1,047 4 
			 1999 25,248 92 1,074 4   1,046 4 
			 2000 25,321 92 1,066 4   1,204 4 
			 2001 25,464 91 1,125 4   1,234 4 
			 2002 25,580 91 1,178 4   1,354 5 
			 2003 25,734 91 1,184 4   1,376 5 
			 2004 25,838 90 1,226 4   1,585 6 
			 2005 25,823 90 1,298 5   1,710 6 
			 2006 25,792 88 1,347 5 37 0 1,971 7 
			 2007 25,844 88 1,427 5   2,177 7 
			 2008(1) *25,581 87 *1,466 5 ****  *2,354 8 
			  = Sample size too small for reliable estimates. (1) Coefficients of Variation have been calculated as an indication of the quality of the estimates, as described below:  Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CVfor example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5 per cent. we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220.  Key Coefficient of Variation (CV) (%) Statistical Robustness * 0 [le] CV  5 Estimates are considered precise. ** 5 [le] CV  10 Estimates are considered reasonably precise. *** 10 [le] CV  20 Estimates are considered acceptable. **** CV ≥20 Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes and have not been provided.  Note: It should be noted that the above estimates exclude people in most types of communal establishment (e.g. hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites etc.).  Source: Labour Force Survey

Energy: Conservation

Greg Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what estimate he has made of the number of people employed in green industries in the UK.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
	Independent consultants commissioned by DBERR estimate that there were 881,300 people employed in the low carbon and environmental goods and services sector in the UK during 2007-08.
	The full report is available on the BERR website.

Unemployment: Essex

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the average rate of unemployment was in  (a) Castle Point and  (b) Essex in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated March 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what the average rate of unemployment was in (a) Castle Point and (b) Essex in each of the last five years. (267055)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) and its predecessor the annual Labour Force Survey (LFS), following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions.
	Reliable estimates for the Castle Point parliamentary constituency are not available due to small sample sizes.
	Estimates have been provided for Essex for the 12 month period ending February 2004 from the annual LFS, and for the 12 month periods ending in March for 2005 to 2008 from the APS. An estimate has also been provided for the 12 month period ending June 2008, which is the latest period for which figures for local areas are available. The level of unemployment has also been provided for the latest period, in order to attach an indication of the quality of the estimates.
	As these estimates are for a subset of the population in small geographical areas, they are based on small sample sizes, and are therefore subject to large margins of uncertainty.
	
		
			  Table 1: Percentage( 1)  of unemployed persons resident in Castle Point and Essex 
			  12 months ending:  Percentage Essex  Thousand Essex 
			 February 2004 3.5  
			 March 2005 3 9  
			 March 2006 3 7  
			 March 2007 3.4  
			 March 2008 4.5  
			 June 2008(2) 4.6 ***33 
			 '' = unavailable or not reliable (1) Unemployed as a percentage of the economically active population (2) Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality.  Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CVfor example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5 per cent. we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220. Key Coefficient of Variation (CV) (%) Statistical Robustness * 0 [le] CV 5 Estimates are considered precise ** 5 [le] CV  10 Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 [le] CV  20 Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV ≥20 Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes  Source: Annual Population Survey/Annual Labour Force Survey

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Business Improvement Districts

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 12 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 726-30W, on business improvement districts, when each business improvement district (BID) was first approved; how many times each BID has been re-approved; what the result of each ballot held on BID approval has been; for what purposes each BID was established; how much revenue each BID has generated since its establishment; and if she will make a statement.

John Healey: The following BIDs have been re-approved for a second term:
	Reading
	Bristol
	Paddington
	Liverpool
	Coventry City Centre
	New West End Company
	Heart of London
	Government do not hold the other information requested.
	The National BIDs Advisory Service provided by the Association for Town Centre Management publishes BID ballot results which are available at:
	www.ukbids.org/

Coastal Areas

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her Department's definition of a principal seaside town is; and whether this category is sub-divided.

Sadiq Khan: The definition of a principal seaside town is provided within England's Seaside Towns: A 'benchmarking' study, which was commissioned by CLG and published in November 2008. Although the Department uses the definition of the 37 principal seaside towns for analytical purposes, it is not restricted to using this definition for either analytical or policy purposes.
	These seaside towns are accurately defined at ward level, generally by their built-up area, which have also been accurately matched to lower super output areas (LSOAs) and have a population of at least 10,000. No sub-divisions of this definition are employed.

Community Relations

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the Prevent strand of Project Contest, in which boroughs the Pan-London Somali Youth Forum is operating; how much each borough implementing the forum project was allocated in 2007-08; what the budget is for the project for 2008-09; and what mechanisms are in place to assess whether the Pan-London Somali Youth Forum is effective in preventing radicalisation amongst Somali youths.

Vernon Coaker: I have been asked to reply.
	The Home Office has made a grant of 57,511 available to the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) in 2008-09 to support the Pan-London Somali Youth Forum project as part of the Prevent strategy.
	The Metropolitan Police Service is working with the Pan-London Somali Youth Forum so that it will have a representative from 16 London boroughs: Barnet, Bromley, Camden, Ealing, Greenwich, Hammersmith and Fulham, Hackney, Haringey, Harrow, Hounslow, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Lambeth, Southwark, Tower Hamlets and Wandsworth.
	The Home Office is monitoring progress under the terms of the grant agreement with the MPS.

Community Relations

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her Department has plans to rename the Preventing Violent Extremism programme.

Sadiq Khan: There are no plans to rename the Preventing Violent Extremism Programme. We are in constant dialogue with communities on how this programme is developed and taken forward.

Community Relations: Finance

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the budget for Preventing Violent Extremism projects is for 2009-10.

Sadiq Khan: The Department has allocated 27.5 million on Prevent-related projects in the financial year 2009-10. In addition, other Government Departments will be supporting projects in this area, principally the Home Office which plans to spend 34 million in 2009-10.

Council Housing: Cambridgeshire

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the level of Housing Revenue Account subsidy in  (a) East Cambridgeshire District Council area and  (b) South Cambridgeshire District Council area is; and how many households in social housing there are in each of those areas.

Iain Wright: East Cambridgeshire district council's housing stock was subject to a large scale voluntary transfer to a Registered Social Landlord (RSL) on 31 March 1993. They do not therefore operate a housing revenue account. It is currently estimated that South Cambridgeshire need to make negative housing revenue account subsidy payments of 11,851,560 for 2008-09.
	Communities and Local Government does not collect data on the number of households in social housing, but the level of social housing stock in each council's area is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Social housing stock as at 1 April 2008 
			   Council h ousing  RSL  h ousing 
			 East Cambridgeshire  4,959 
			 South Cambridgeshire 5,542 2,250

Council Housing: Waiting Lists

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people are on local authority housing waiting lists in  (a) Eastbourne and  (b) East Sussex; and what the equivalent figures were (i) five and (ii) 10 years ago.

Iain Wright: Local authorities in England report the numbers of households on their housing waiting list as at 1 April in their annual Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix returns. Information on local authority housing waiting lists is collected in respect of households rather than individuals. The number of households on the local authority housing waiting lists in all local authorities including Eastbourne and East Sussex is given in the following table:
	
		
			   1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			  South East 111,425 115,901 129,924 129,234 146,880 168,725 181,196 195,700 208,419 203,161 
			
			  Bracknell Forest UA 1,308 1,302 1,331 1,413 1,604 2,812 3,019 4,076 4,067 4,122 
			  Brighton and Hove UA 3,610 3,168 3,304 3,274 4,307 7,500 8,056 8,056 10,667 9,046 
			  Isle of Wight UA 1,122 1,475 1,451 1,609 2,403 2,865 3,967 3,508 4,955 4,388 
			  Medway UA 3,708 4.570 7,624 3,462 7,452 8,039 6,544 11,870 8,338 7,885 
			  Milton Keynes UA 2,835 1,733 3,173 2,482 3,490 2,951 4,180 3,534 3,973 0 
			  Portsmouth UA 4,759 4,389 4,838 4,810 5,525 8,960 7,965 6,661 6,751 4,562 
			  Reading UA 3,343 3,827 4,348 3,160 3,231 3,428 4,330 5,162 5,242 4,504 
			  Slough UA 1,739 1,931 2,225 2,097 1,945 2,437 3,190 3,759 3,909 3.780 
			  Southampton UA 3,699 4,522 5,148 5,811 6,697 8,128 9,225 11,126 10,117 11,662 
			  West Berkshire UA 887 781 1,014 1,008 1,640 1,820 2,242 2,785 2,893 4,259 
			  Windsor and Maidenhead UA 2,419 2,363 2,375 2,301 2,357 2,418 2,353 1,690 1,674 1,922 
			  Wokingham UA 1,359 1,497 1,851 2,564 2,372 2,457 2,116 2,294 2,699 3,036 
			
			  Buckinghamshire 3,568 3,523 3,751 4,153 4,783 5,494 5,774 7,299 8,084 7,830 
			 Aylesbury Vale 841 785 842 965 1,165 1,394 1,804 2,191 2,545 2,899 
			 Chiltern 667 631 698 763 1,034 1,182 967 1,125 1,207 1,130 
			 South Bucks 1,064 1,030 1,115 1,102 1,120 1,161 917 1,641 1,787 1,701 
			 Wycombe 996 1,077 1,096 1,323 1,464 1,757 2,086 2,342 2,545 2,100 
			
			  East Sussex 6,096 6,777 7,711 7,100 9,044 10,026 10,497 10,969 12,416 11,068 
			 Eastbourne 1,753 2,184 2,596 2,041 2,806 3,000 3,354 4.481 5,225 3,404 
			 Hastings 1,490 1,763 1,921 1,734 1,866 1,482 1,575 1,296 2,175 1,730 
			 Lewes 818 818 872 809 927 1,203 1,312 1,485 2,041 2,207 
			 Rother 1,176 1,138 1,383 1,539 1,825 2,387 2,037 1,398 1,362 1,542 
			 Wealden 859 874 939 977 1,620 1,954 2,219 2.309 1,613 2.1B5 
			
			  Hampshire 19,127 22,070 22,634 24,071 24,558 28,635 30,357 32,361 39,846 37,905 
			 Basingstoke and Deane 4,245 4,046 4,652 4,281 4,497 4,761 4,937 5,083 5,543 5,633 
			 East Hampshire 1,828 2,403 1,789 1,890 2,238 2,115 2,229 2.890 2,763 2,153 
			 Eastleigh 1,200 1,361 1,481 1,623 3,424 4,446 4,515 5,014 5,528 5,604 
			 Fareham 929 1,184 1,152 1,146 1,625 2,353 735 1,448 1,158 1,717 
			 Gosport 1,167 1,130 1,204 1,375 1,412 1,668 1,833 2,013 2,597 3,076 
			 Hart 588 645 816 923 970 1,074 1,163 1,344 1,267 1,882 
			 Havant 2,714 3,264 3,735 3,138 2,349 2,480 2,256 2,202 4,198 4,232 
			 New Forest 1,383 1,672 1,615 2,686 2.428 3,339 3,891 4,241 4,969 5,228 
			 Rushmoor 2,221 3,616 3,514 4,101 2,189 3,264 4,151 3,634 5,693 3,102 
			 Test Valley 1,723 1,611 1,440 1,645 2,189 2,092 2,698 2,885 3,925 3,048 
			 Winchester 1,129 1,138 1,236 1,263 1,237 1,043 1,949 1,607 2,205 2,230 
			
			  Kent 19,738 20,385 21,042 23,257 24,875 26,502 29,833 30,706 28,543 30,523 
			 Ashford 2,201 2,151 1,691 1,438 2,077 2,665 2,482 1,174 1,508 1,762 
			 Canterbury 1,920 2,164 2,185 2,738 2,484 2,814 3,330 3,039 3,398 3,758 
			 Dartford 1,575 1,557 1,794 2,042 1,997 2,582 2,652 3,728 3,502 3,225 
			 Dover 2,231 2,186 1,998 1,895 1,808 1,850 2,229 2,534 2,869 3,033 
			 Gravesham 1,847 906 1,173 1,291 1,439 2,085 1,977 2,141 1,479 1,610 
			 Maidstone 959 926 1,756 1,512 2,173 1,254 2,562 1,764 2,079 2,290 
			 Sevenoaks 1,444 1,377 1,534 1.475 1,613 1,736 2,160 2,625 1,132 916 
			 Shepway 2,595 2,759 2,144 3,027 2,539 1,886 2,311 2,652 2,213 2,118 
			 Swale 2,106 2,461 2,215 2,070 2,545 3,328 3,805 4,311 3,352 4,432 
			 Thanet 1,528 1,997 2,356 3,444 3,659 3,242 3,419 3,394 3,757 3,255 
			 Tonbridge and Malling 658 920 1,168 1,330 1,460 1,913 1,727 1,897 1,858 2,350 
			 Tunbridge Wells 674 981 1,028 995 1,081 1,147 1,179 1,447 1,396 1,774 
			
			  Oxfordshire 10,381 10,520 11,824 12,539 14,256 14,821 14,163 14,550 14,433 13,926 
			 Cherwell 2,422 2,520 2,676 2,560 3,023 2,450 3,767 3,436 3,415 3,072 
			 Oxford 3,099 3.121 3,378 3,217 3,572 3,991 3,525 3,816 3.965 3,313 
			 South Oxfordshire 1,488 1,836 2,244 2,354 2,270 2,169 2,043 2,253 1,719 1,770 
			 Vale of White Horse 1,919 1,802 2,292 2,698 3,313 3,717 1,981 2,817 3,185 3,640 
			 West Oxfordshire 1,453 1,241 1,234 1,710 2,078 2,494 2,847 2,228 2,149 2,131 
			
			  Surrey 13,774 12,775 13,635 13,797 15,577 16,867 19,080 19,591 23,337 25,517 
			 Elmbridge 1,976 1,317 1,839 1,704 1,901 1,894 2,054 2.206 2,242 2,086 
			 Epsom and Ewell 537 526 427 462 525 659 382 677 962 1,165 
			 Guildford 1,603 1,802 1,806 1,698 1,902 2,100 2,247 2,455 2,802 2,898 
			 Mole Valley 1,177 1,080 1,211 1,372 1,620 1,357 1,318 1,805 1,933 2,373 
			 Reigate and Banstead 1,155 1,164 1,136 1,062 1,173 1,391 1,751 2,073 2,563 2,540 
			 Runnymede 694 725 427 383 945 1,582 1,715 851 1,493 1,984 
			 Spelthorne 2,284 2,538 2,571 2,681 2,767 2,865 3,314 2,983 3,552 4,494 
			 Surrey Heath 436 525 529 528 536 681 1,174 1,512 1,583 1,757 
			 Tandridge 1,077 806 816 825 836 1,122 1,272 1,107 1,220 1,350 
			 Waverley 1,288 1,066 1,201 1,269 1,389 1,569 1,680 1,719 1,743 2,267 
			 Woking 1,547 1,226 1,672 1,813 1,983 1,647 2,173 2,203 3,244 2,603 
			
			  West Sussex 7,953 8,293 10,645 10,326 10,764 12,565 14,305 15,703 16,475 17,226 
			 Adur 1,162 853 1,060 873 1,262 1,551 1,888 1,711 1,520 1,548 
			 Arun 689 834 852 933 905 1,385 2,309 2,389 3,882 3,318 
			 Chichester 2,148 2,106 2,187 2,220 2,167 2,280 2,126 2,762 2,678 3,779 
			 Crawley 465 633 2,046 1,755 1,930 2,250 2,208 2,562 2,445 2,599 
			 Horsham 710 908 1,154 1,262 1,450 1,424 1,437 1,504 1,413 1,204 
			 Mid Sussex 1.418 1,494 1,407 1,468 1,476 2,027 2,121 2,113 2,176 2,313 
			 Worthing 1,361 1.465 1,939 1,815 1,574 1,648 2,216 2,662 2,361 2,465 
			  Note:  As reported by local authorities. As at 1st April.   Source:  Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA) return. 
		
	
	Further information on the number of households on the local authority housing waiting lists for England, can be found in the statistical release Local Authority Housing Statistics England: 2007-08: Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA) and Business Plan Statistical Appendix (BPSA) This was published on 22 January 2009 on the Communities and Local Government website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/lahousing200708
	Additionally information on the number of households on local authority housing waiting lists broken down by Government office region and for every local authority, including the percentage of households this represents, is published on the Communities and Local Government website in Table 600 at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/table600.xls
	Copies of the statistical release and live table have been deposited in the Library.
	Not everyone on the waiting list is necessarily in urgent housing need. The waiting list includes those who consider social housing as their preferred or one of a number of housing options, and those who decide to get onto the waiting list ladder before they need or want to move houseparticularly where the priority system is heavily based on waiting time. The size of the waiting list is not an indicator of absolute need, it is only useful as a broad indicator of housing demand in an area.

Departmental Manpower

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) permanent,  (b) agency and  (c) temporary staff on contracts of (i) up to three months, (ii) between three and six months, (iii) between six and 12 months and (iv) 12 months or more there are in each directorate of her Department.

Sadiq Khan: Communities and Local Government currently has the following number of permanent, agency and temporary staff on contracts up to and over 12 months:
	
		
			  Sum of FTE 
			   Contract period 
			  Type of staff  0-3 months  3-6 months  6-12 months  12+ months  Grand total 
			 Agency 42 43 53 42 180 
			 Permanent 1  5 7.28 13.28 
			 Temporary 6.68 4 26 7 43.68 
			 Grand total 49.68 47 84 56.28 236.96 
		
	
	Detailed information on each directorate could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Further details of staff employment are published in the Department's annual reports.

Departmental Procurement

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, column 304W, on departmental procurement, if she will place in the Library a copy of the invoices for the expenditure at Majestic Wine Warehouse Ltd; and for what purpose the expenditure was incurred.

Sadiq Khan: The expenditure was incurred for the purposes of official hospitality for a number of events. For reasons of commercial confidentiality it is not normal practice to make public copies of invoices.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her latest estimate is of her Department's capital expenditure in  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10,  (c) 2010-11 and  (d) 2011-12; and if she will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: The Department's capital expenditure for the requested years is as follows:
	
		
			  Departmental expenditure limit  Capital ( million) 
			  Forecast  
			 2008-09 7,125 
			   
			  Budget  
			 2009-10 8,413 
			 2010-11 6,005 
		
	
	The budget for 2011-12 will be fixed in the next spending review.

Departmental Publications

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the  (a) production and printing and  (b) other costs to her Department of producing its most recent (i) departmental annual report and (ii) autumn performance report.

Sadiq Khan: The Department's annual report 2008 cost 38,652 plus VAT to design and print. Our autumn performance report 2008 was produced as an online document only and cost 2,305 plus VAT.

Departmental Standards

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the cost to her Department of measuring compliance with its targets under its public service agreements in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Sadiq Khan: Public service agreements cover a wide range of the Department's business; costs associated with measuring compliance are not separately identified but are incorporated within individual workstreams focusing on delivery. Drawing together this information would be possible only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Training

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 9 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1689W, on departmental training, which Ministers took advice on  (a) continuing professional development and  (b) speeches; and what the cost was in each case.

Sadiq Khan: The training referred to in my earlier answer of 9 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1689W, was: advice on continuing professional development; and advice on speeches; and cost in total 650 and 2,115 respectively. Identifying Ministers who undertake training would, or would be likely to, discourage participation in future training sessions, acting as a disincentive for Ministers to undertake formal professional development.

Fire Services

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) uniformed and  (b) non-uniformed fire service personnel there were in each (i) fire brigade and (ii) region in each year since 2000.

Sadiq Khan: These data are published annually in the Fire and Rescue Service Operational Statistics Bulletin and can be found on the Department's website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/fire/researchandstatistics/firestatistics/firerescue/

Fire Services

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost has been including value added tax and expenses, of consultants working on the FireLink Project since the start of the project.

Sadiq Khan: For the period August 2002 to February 2009 the cost of consultant services for the FireLink project has been 36.88 million.

Fire Services

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the timetables are for the implementation of the data capture and migration toolkit in each fire brigade in each region; and if she will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: The first part of the data capture and migration toolkit was rolled out to those Fire and Rescue Services who requested it by the end of February 2009 (some 40 fire brigades in total). The next phase of the data capture toolkit is under development and will be released later this year, in discussion with the Fire and Rescue Services.

Fire Services

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the current planned date is for each fire brigade to cut over to each regional control centre; and if she will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: I refer to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the hon. Member for Hendon (Mr. Dismore) on 11 December 2008,  Official Report, columns 248-50W, setting out the revised cut over schedule.

First Time Buyers

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of first-time home buyers in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: The numbers of first time buyers purchasing a home with a mortgage in the UK in each year since 1997 are presented as follows:
	
		
			   Number of first time buyers purchasing with a mortgage, UK 
			 1997 501,500 
			 1998 525,200 
			 1999 592,400 
			 2000 500,200 
			 2001 568,200 
			 2002 531,800 
			 2003 369,600 
			 2004 358,100 
			 2005 372,300 
			 2006 401,000 
			 2007 357,800 
			 2008 194,400 
			  Source: Council of Mortgage Lenders 
		
	
	CML estimate that around one in five first time buyers are actually returning to owner-occupation after a break.
	We are ensuring support is in place to help first-time buyers. We have:
	Increased opportunities to buy a home through shared equity and shared ownershipour schemes are now open to anyone earning up to 60,000 who would not otherwise be able to afford to buy.
	Now allocated 236 million to purchase nearly 6,000 unsold properties to be used as affordable and social housing.
	Helped more than 110,000 households into home ownership since 1997 through our shared ownership and shared equity schemes.
	Launched our 400 million HomeBuy Direct scheme, which will help up to 18,000 first time buyers across the country.

Housing Associations: Finance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of housing associations in need of financial assistance in the most recent period for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: The Tenant Services Authority carries out annual reviews of housing associations' financial position and grades each organisation on a scale of 1 to 4 as follows:
	1Satisfactory
	2Satisfactory, but areas of exposure noted
	3Concerns
	4Serious concerns
	All but six associations have so far received a grading of 1 or 2. The other six associations are graded at 3 and no organisation is graded 4. The TSA is working closely with all six organisations to resolve their issues and is hopeful of a successful resolution of the issues in each case.

Housing Associations: Finance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions she has had with  (a) the Chancellor of the Exchequer and  (b) banks in which the Government has purchased a holding on (i) the level of lending to housing associations and (ii) the interest rates at which those banks lend to housing associations.

Iain Wright: Ministers from the Department are meeting regularly with their HM Treasury counterparts to discuss these issues, and officials are also in regular communication with HM Treasury, the Council of Mortgage Lenders, and individual lenders to discuss the issue of lending to housing associations.
	Communities and Local Government officials are also engaged in ongoing discussions with HM Treasury on the lending agreements signed by banks participating in the Government's Asset Protection Scheme.

Housing Market

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department spent against its Objective 4 to deliver a better balance between housing supply and demand in each of the last five years; and what each figure represents in 2008-09 prices.

Iain Wright: 11,259 billion was spent between 2003-04 and 2007-08 by the Department. The figures for each year in cash terms and in 2008-9 prices are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   billion 
			   Actuals  2009-09 prices 
			 2003-04 1.937 2.218 
			 2004-05 2.087 2.326 
			 2005-06 2.098 2.291 
			 2006-07 2.452 2.608 
			 2007-08 2.685 2.772 
			 Total 11.259 12.215 
		
	
	Expenditure has been converted to 2008-09 prices using the GDP deflator as published by HM Treasury. This deflator is calculated from Office for National Statistics data for seasonally adjusted current and constant price GDP for years up to 2007-08. 2008-09 is derived from HM Treasury forecasts for GDP deflator increases at the Pre-Budget Report 2008.

Housing Market

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research has been commissioned by her Department on likely changes in housing  (a) need and  (b) demand arising during the recession; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: The Department has commissioned Heriot-Watt university to produce a new analytical model that will improve our capacity to estimate the number and type of households with some form of housing related need. We expect the housing need analytical model to be in use within Communities and Local Government by autumn 2009.
	The CLG affordability model was developed in response to the Barker Review of Housing Supply in 2004. This model has been updated to reflect the tighter credit conditions we are seeing. We are also updating it currently to include the latest CLG households projections published in March 2009.
	Both of these analytical models are designed primarily to assess the impact of important long-term drivers of need and demand, such as demographic change. They will also be valuable tools in understanding the near term impact of the economic downturn on housing need and demand.

Housing: Crime Prevention

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what proportion of new homes constructed met the minimum levels of security set out in the Sustainable and Secure Buildings Act 2004 since 2004;
	(2)  what account will be taken of making buildings more resistant to crime in the next revision of building regulations.

Iain Wright: The Sustainable and Secure Buildings Act 2004 contains no provisions on minimum levels of security for new homes; it simply amended the Building Act 1984 to give power to make building regulations for the purpose of furthering the prevention and detection of crime. This power has not been used.
	Security of homes is, however, part of the Code on Sustainable Homes. Under this code, developers can gain credits for security if they consult an architectural liaison officer or crime prevention design advisor in the local police force and their recommendations are incorporated in the design of the home. To date these credits have been included in over 90 per cent. of all code homes.
	There are no current plans to include making buildings more resistant to crime in the next revision of the Building Regulations but consideration will be given for future revisions.

Housing: Crime Prevention

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps have been taken to implement the provisions of the Sustainable and Secure Buildings Act 2004.

Iain Wright: The provisions of the Sustainable and Secure Buildings Act 2004 mainly amended the Building Act 1984 to allow building regulations to be made for more purposes than previously. A number of the powers have been used to make building regulations since the 2004 Act came into force, in particular in respect of the energy efficiency provisions of the building regulations. This Department has publicly consulted on proposals for the provisions in the Act on local authority registers of information, certification of work, and appointed persons and management of works and is considering how best to proceed.
	The Act also requires a biennial report on the building stock in England and Wales, with particular reference to energy efficiency and sustainability, to be made to Parliament. The first report covering the period November 2004 to November 2006 was made in February 2007. A second report, covering the period November 2006 to November 2008, is currently being prepared.

Housing: Low Incomes

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department and its predecessors have spent on the provision of affordable housing in each year since 1997; and what forecast she has made of such expenditure in each year to 2011, at 2008-09 prices.

Iain Wright: The table shows spend by the Homes and Communities Agency through the Affordable Housing Programme from 1997-98 to 2007-08.
	
		
			million 
			 1997-98 727 
			 1998-99 732 
			 1999-2000 815 
			 2000-01 830 
			 2001-02 823 
			 2002-03 1,030 
			 2003-04 1,805 
			 2004-05 1,624 
			 2005-06 1,598 
			 2006-07 1,923 
			 2007-08 2,004 
		
	
	The indicative allocations for 2009-10 and 2010-11 for the AHP are 3.5 billion and 2.3 billion respectively. At 2008-09 prices these would be 3.43 billion and 2.21 billion respectively.
	Expenditure that may be made by local authorities using their resources from CLG to provide affordable housing has not been included.

Housing: Standards

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department plans to spend on improving the supply and quality of housing in  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11 in (i) cash terms and (ii) 2008-09 prices.

Iain Wright: 11.5 billion, with the breakdown by financial year shown in the following table, will be allocated to deliver supply and quality of housing during the current comprehensive spending review period. The Government announced packages of measures in May, July, September, the pre-Budget report and at the Queen's Speech, to address the current conditions and long-term challenges facing the housing market. This includes 550 million brought forward from the 2010-11 budgets to 2008-09 and 2009-10 from within the national Affordable Housing Programme for social rented housing. This funding is expected to provide an additional 7,500 homes over the next 18 months.
	
		
			   billion 
			   Budgets  In 2008-09 prices 
			 2008-09 3.507 3.507 
			 2009-10 4.556 4.489 
			 2010-11 3.469 3.326 
			 Total 11.532 11.322 
		
	
	If the 11.5 billion is expressed in 2008-09 prices, this equates to around 11.3 billion. Conversion to 2008-9 prices has been done using the GDP deflator as published by HMT. Years 2008-09 to 2010-11 are derived from HM Treasury forecasts for GDP deflator increases at the pre-Budget report 2008.

Housing: Standards

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes which did not meet the Decent Homes Standard there were in  (a) housing association stock,  (b) local authority stock and  (c) the private rented sector in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: holding answer 26 March 2009
	The Department for Communities and Local Government uses estimates from the English House Condition Survey to compare the condition of homes of different tenures. The survey reported every five years up and including 2001 and annually from 2003.
	The Decent Homes standard was updated in 2006 when the introduction of the Housing Health and Safety Rating System replaced the Fitness Standard as the statutory tool for assessing housing conditions. Figures based on the updated definition from 2006 are not comparable with those based on the original definition.
	The information requested is provided in the following table. 2008 estimates from the survey will be available in 2010.
	
		
			  Number of homes not meeting the Decent Homes standard in the private and social rented sectors, 1996-2007 
			   Private rented  Local authority  Housing association 
			  Original definition of standard
			 1996 1,246,000 1,869,000 448,000 
			 2001 1,101,000 1,174,000 472,000 
			 2003 1,056,000 975,000 467,000 
			 2004 994,000 816,000 437,000 
			 2005 1,003,000 729,000 433,000 
			 2006 1,055,000 695,000 436,000 
			 
			  Updated definition of standard
			 2006 1,223,000 676,000 465,000 
			 2007 1,244,000 652,000 486,000 
			  Note:  Figures under the Original definition include the Fitness Standard as the statutory criterion of the standard; figures under the updated definition include the Housing Health and Safety Rating System as the statutory criterion.   Source:  English House Condition Survey.

Local Government Finance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how much funding her Department has provided to local authorities in social housing grant in each region in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how much funding her Department has provided to local authorities in social housing grant payments in each year since 1997 at 2008-09 prices.

Iain Wright: The Homes and Communities Agency has not paid social housing grant direct to local authorities and has only had the power to do so since the Housing Act 2004. This allowed organisations other than housing associations to bid for social housing grant, the main capital subsidy for new housing. Arms Length Management Organisations (ALMO) have been able to qualify through the pre-qualification process to bid for SHG from April 2008.
	In September 2008, we announced that we would invite councils to bid to the HCA for social housing grant on the same basis as ALMOs and special purpose vehicles. We are also consulting on changes to council housing finance rules which would allow councils to keep the full income and capital returns on any investment they make in new council housing. The revenue and capital changes would help councils put together viable bids for social housing grant from the HCA. These changes should result in an increase in building by councils.

Mobile Homes

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what definition of a caravan is used in relation to decisions under planning regulations.

Iain Wright: Section 29(1) of the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960 (the 1960 Act) defines, in brief, a caravan as:
	any structure designed or adapted for human habitation which is capable of being moved from one place to another...
	Although caravans are mobile and therefore do not constitute development, planning permission may be required for the stationing or use of a caravan if it constitutes a material change in the use of the land. Some permitted development rights relating to caravans can be found in Parts 4 and 5 of Schedule 2 to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995, which uses the same definition of caravan as the 1960 Act.

Mobile Homes: East Sussex

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many licensed sites for park homes are registered in  (a) Eastbourne and  (b) East Sussex.

Iain Wright: The Department does not routinely collect statistics on the number of park home sites. However, an ad hoc survey of local authorities in England carried out in 2006 suggested the following:
	
		
			   Approximate number of residential park home sites 
			 Eastbourne 3 
			 East Sussex 20

Multiple Occupation

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what powers planning authorities have to prevent development of houses of multiple occupation.

Iain Wright: The Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987 (as amended) is intended to be a deregulatory mechanism which removes the need for planning permission for changes between certain specified uses by grouping into classes land uses which have similar implications for local amenity. The Use Classes Order defines dwelling houses under the C3 use class as houses used by a single person, any number of persons living together as a family, or by no more than six people living together as a single household.
	HMOs do not fall within any of the specified use classes, and therefore are sui generis (in a class of its own) in terms of use. Planning permission is needed for a change of use to or from a sui generis use. Therefore, planning permission would be needed for a proposed change of use from a private dwelling to a HMO, or if such is deemed to have occurred.
	Where a planning application is required, local planning authorities will be able to assess the application against the relevant policies in their Development Plan taking into account any other material considerations.
	The current definition of a dwelling house implies that up to six people living together as a single household should not, prima facie, be considered as a HMO. However local planning authorities may determine individual cases on the basis of fact and degree and may decide that a dwelling with fewer than six people living together other than as a single household constitutes a HMO.

Non-Domestic Rates: Business

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the percentage change in business rates for  (a) small and  (b) medium-sized and large firms which will take effect in April 2009 in (i) the London Borough of Sutton and (ii) nationwide; and if she will make a statement.

John Healey: The percentage change in business rates for  (a) small and  (b) medium-sized and large firms which will take effect in April 2009 in (i) the London borough of Sutton and (ii) England are the same. I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Peterborough (Mr. Jackson) on 12 March 2009,  Official Report, column 750W.

Non-Domestic Rates: Business

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will adjust the small business rate multiplier for 2009-10 to ensure that it is not increased above the rate of inflation.

John Healey: The small business rate multiplier for forthcoming financial years is capped by the retail price index for September of the financial year preceding.

Planning Obligations

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent estimate her Department has made of the proportion of affordable housing made available under section 106 agreements in each of the last three years; and what proportion of affordable housing she expects to be made available under section 106 agreements in  (a) financial year 2008-09 and  (b) financial year 2009-10.

Iain Wright: The following table shows the proportion of affordable homes that were provided with a section 106 agreement in England.
	
		
			   Total section 106 agreements  Total affordable homes provided  Proportion (percentage) 
			 2005-06 24,350 45,980 53 
			 2006-07 26,570 44,570 60 
			 2007-08 28,270 53,730 53 
		
	
	Information on numbers of new affordable homes provided through section 106 agreements for 2008-09 will be made available as part of CLG affordable housing statistics due to be released in December 2010. Estimates on the levels of section 106 agreements in 2009-10 are not available.

Planning Permission

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether planning policy statement 6 relating to sequential tests applies to new NHS facilities.

Sadiq Khan: The sequential approach set out in Planning Policy Statement 6 does not apply to new NHS facilities (except offices).
	However, Planning Policy Guidance note 13: Transport (2001) requires new health facilities to be planned so as to maximise accessibility by means of transport other than the car while at the same time providing good access arrangements for emergency vehicles. New intermediate health care facilities should, where possible, be located in town, district or local centres where they will be highly accessible by non-car modes of transport and can reinforce the range of services provided by these centres.

Planning: Horticulture

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her policy is on the development of urban horticulture as a contribution towards climate change mitigation; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: Although our policy for promoting urban horticulture is not directly linked to climate change objectives, it can have a small-scale positive benefit, for example through local sourcing of food, promotion of biodiversity, and promotion of urban green space.
	We have recently provided grants of l million to local authorities to contribute towards the costs of training and employment for the first year of 60 additional horticulture apprenticeships. Those apprentices will play a vital role in ensuring that the quality of our urban parks and green spaces continues to improve.

Regional Planning and Development: South East

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many responses have been received to the South East Plan Consultation  (a) in total and  (b) from people in Guildford.

Sadiq Khan: A full summary of responses will accompany the final regional spatial strategy when it is published.
	In response to the question;
	 (a) To date, 7,000 responses have generated 13,500 individual comments, and
	 (b) 55 per cent. of responses were received from people in Guildford.

Social Rented Housing

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent steps she has taken to support financially-sound small and medium-sized housing associations to obtain bank credit in order to purchase homes to meet social housing need.

Iain Wright: The Government have taken a number of steps to help ensure that appropriate credit is available to individuals and businesses, including housing associations.
	The Government have agreed lending commitments with the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), Lloyds Banking Group and Northern Rock. RBS has committed to increasing lending by 25 billion above its baseline budget in 2009 including 16 billion for business lending and 9 billion for mortgage lending. Lloyds have committed to increase lending by 11 billion, including 8 billion for business lending and 3 billion for mortgage lending. Northern Rock has also agreed to provide 5 billion for new mortgages in 2009 and 9 billion in 2010.
	My officials are also in regular communication with HM Treasury, the Council of Mortgage Lenders, and individual lenders to discuss the issue of lending to housing associations.
	The Government have also provided grant funding to help housing associations purchase homes to meet social housing need. In May 2009, we announced that funding would be made available for housing associations to purchase suitable properties from developers for use as affordable housing. 236 million has now been allocated to deliver around 6,700 homes, the majority for social rent.
	The Government are bringing forward from 2010-11 550 million to provide around 7,500 social rented homes 18 months earlier than they would otherwise have been delivered. We have also given the Homes and Communities Agency increased flexibility in its use of social housing grant as part of a wider approach to stimulate new development.

Social Rented Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many properties financed through social housing grants have been sold by each local authority in each of the last five years.

Iain Wright: None.

Social Rented Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many registered social landlords there were in each of the last five years; and how many properties were owned by registered social landlords in each of those years;
	(2)  how many registered social landlords let  (a) supported housing and  (b) housing for older people in each of the last five years.

Iain Wright: Information from registered social landlords (RSL) on the number of properties they own and the number of RSLs providing lets to supported housing and housing for older people is collected through the Regulatory and Statistical Return (RSR) by the Tenant Services Authority.
	Information on the number of RSLs and the number of properties owned by RSLs in each year from 2004 to 2008 is presented in table 1.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of registered social landlords (RSLs) and the properties they owned, 2004-08 
			   RSLs( 1)  Properties owned by RSLs( 2, 3) 
			 2004 1,844 1,906,322 
			 2005 1,746 2,013,385 
			 2006 1,698 2,079,515 
			 2007 1,687 2,178,223 
			 2008 1,676 2,296,368 
			 (1) Based on active RSLs submitting data in the RSR. (2) Includes general needs, supported housing, housing for older people, social leased housing and non-social housing. Some properties outside England are also included. Includes self-contained units and bed spaces. (3) Since 2006, RSLs owning/managing less than 250 units/bed spaces have not supplied information on non-social stock. From 2007, this threshold was raised to 1,000 units/bed spaces.  Source: Tenant Services Authority Regulatory Statistical Return, as at 31 March. 
		
	
	These figures are based on active RSLs submitting data in the RSR and include non-social housing, social leased housing and social rented properties. Some properties outside England are also included.
	It is not possible to identify RSLs providing lettings to supported housing and housing older people separately. Due to a change in definitions, it is not possible to provide figures prior to 2003-04 on a consistent basis. Information on the number of RSLs providing lettings to supported housing and housing for older people in each year from 2004-05 to 2007-08 is presented in table 2.
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of RSLs providing lettings to supported housing and housing for older people, 2004-05 to 2007-08 
			   Number 
			 2004-05 906 
			 2005-06 906 
			 2006-07 928 
			 2007-08 870 
			  Note: Figures cover the period 1 April to 31 March.  Source: Tenant Services Authority Regulatory Statistical Return, as at 31 March.

Social Rented Housing

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the effects on rates of  (a) homelessness and  (b) overcrowding in social rented stock.

Iain Wright: Between 2003 and 2008, the number of homelessness acceptances fell by 58 per cent. and the rate of acceptances from 6.5 to 2.7 per thousand households. The latest statistics show that there were 12,070 homelessness acceptances during the period October to December 200821 per cent. lower than the same period last year. The proportion of homelessness acceptances due to mortgage repossessions has remained at 4 per cent. since the end of 2007.
	In addition, the number of households in temporary accommodation has fallen for 13 consecutive quarters and is now one third lower than the peak in 2004 (where figures had remained static at around 101,000). There were 67,480 households in temporary accommodation on 31 December 200815 per cent. lower than the same date last year. This represents a rate of 3.1 households in temporary accommodation per thousand households, which has fallen from 4.8 at the time of the peak. 50 per cent. of local authorities have already met the target to halve the number of households in temporary accommodation by 2010.
	This success is largely due to the effective and positive work local authorities and voluntary agencies have undertaken on prevention measures. We have allocated 200 million to local authorities and voluntary organisations over three years 2008-09 to 2010-11 to support their strategies for preventing and tackling homelessness in their areas.
	We also recently announced a 200 million Mortgage Rescue Scheme to help vulnerable home owners. This scheme is available to all local authorities and will aim to help up to 6,000 of the most vulnerable households avoid the trauma of repossession over the next two years. This scheme is now operational.
	Levels of overcrowding are measured through the Survey of English Housing and assessed against the 'bedroom standard', based on the composition of all households and the age and gender of all household members. Based on a three-year rolling average from 2005-06 to 2007-08, we estimate that there are 234,000 overcrowded households in the social sector. These figures will next be updated using results from the new English Housing Survey, probably in January 2010.

Tenant Services Authority

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the Tenant Services Authority's expenditure on its National Conversation.

Iain Wright: To date, the TSA have spent 103,000 on the campaign for the National Conversation.

JUSTICE

Bail Accommodation and Support Service

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of residents of ClearSprings properties have breached their residency obligations since the scheme was introduced; how many have been removed from their property as a result; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: As at 24 March 832 service users placed in ClearSprings' properties available to the bail accommodation and support service have been in breach and their residency terminated, since the commencement of the scheme in June 2007.
	The scheme is designed to support those who due to their lack of suitable accommodation would otherwise be in prison rather than on bail or home detention curfew. The breach rate shows that, if defendants or offenders abuse the accommodation provided by the scheme, they will be returned swiftly to court or prison as appropriate.

Civil Service

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2009,  Official Report, column 774, whether proposals on the constitutional position of the Civil Service will be included in the Constitutional Renewal Bill.

Jack Straw: The Governance of Britain Green Paper set out the Government's commitment to bring forward legislation to enshrine the core principles and values of the civil service in law. The draft Constitutional Renewal Bill contained provisions in respect of the civil service. As I said, it remains my intention that the necessary legislation will be brought forward. The Bill is in the final stages of drafting.

Courts: Finance

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the budget of  (a) HM Courts Service in each area and  (b) the Royal Courts of Justice group is for (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09 and (iii) 2009-10.

Jack Straw: The gross budgets for (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09 and (iii) 2009-10 are shown in the following table by the main areas of business within HMCS and also the Royal Courts of Justice.
	
		
			  Total delegation 
			   000 
			   2007- 08  2008- 09  2009- 10 
			 Regions (excluding RCJ) 844,850 839,100 833,500 
			 Royal Courts of Justice (RCJ) 56,734 54,818 56,000 
			 Total 901,584 893,918 889,500 
		
	
	2009-10 figures are provisionally agreed and could possibly be altered to reflect in year movements by end of April 2009.

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991: Convictions

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people in each  (a) region and  (b) London borough have been (i) charged with and (ii) convicted of offences under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in each year since 1997; how many of those convicted were found guilty of offences under (A) section 1 and (B) section 3 of the Act; and of those how many were given a (1) destruction order, (2) disqualification order, (3) custodial sentence, (4) fine on Level 1 of the standard scale, (5) fine on Level 2 of the standard scale, (6) fine on Level 3 of the standard scale, (7) fine on Level 4 of the standard scale and (8) fine on Level 5 of the standard scale.

Maria Eagle: The number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts under sections 1, 3 and 4 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, by region, in England and Wales, 1997 to 2007 can be viewed in tables 1 and 2.
	Charging data are not held by the Ministry of Justice, thus prosecution data have been provided in lieu.
	The number of persons fined and given custodial sentences for offences under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 sections 1 and 3 broken down by region and fine levels, in England and Wales, 1997 to 2007 can be viewed in table 3.
	Information on destruction and disqualification orders is not held centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Court proceedings data are not available at London borough level.
	These data are on the principal offence basis. The figures given in the following table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the offence selected is the one for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	Court proceedings data for 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts, under Section 1, Section 3 and Section 4 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, by region, in England and Wales, 1997 to 2007( 1, 2, 3) 
			  Proceeded against 
			 
			  Region  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			  Section 1, 3, and 4 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 
			 North East 50 77 72 72 59 66 64 76 55 71 95 
			 North West 77 108 124 118 123 111 151 138 129 157 184 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 46 90 82 69 90 87 107 119 134 165 112 
			 East Midlands 25 62 61 60 46 67 75 78 105 78 93 
			 West Midlands 46 93 81 65 127 133 137 143 137 108 150 
			 East of England 38 54 60 72 57 87 80 63 108 104 128 
			 London 80 83 79 92 97 86 91 82 80 102 150 
			 South East 79 93 95 118 99 107 98 127 134 158 138 
			 South West 36 57 81 64 109 100 107 75 67 68 65 
			 Wales 27 45 67 93 79 78 78 89 76 66 78 
			 England and Wales 504 762 802 823 886 922 988 990 1,025 1,077 1,193 
			 
			  Section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991  
			 North East 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 
			 North West 3 1 1 2 0 0 1 5 1 1 25 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 1 3 1 1 0 2 1 2 4 0 4 
			 East Midlands 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 11 3 1 0 
			 West Midlands 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 4 0 21 
			 East of England 2 2 0 1 0 2 0 1 1 1 1 
			 London 16 17 12 6 7 9 2 3 1 6 43 
			 South East 6 9 7 3 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 
			 South West 0 2 4 2 0 1 1 0 2 2 4 
			 Wales 1 1 0 1 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 
			 England and Wales 31 35 26 17 9 16 7 22 18 11 103 
			 
			  Section 3 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991  
			 North East 49 77 70 72 59 66 64 76 55 71 90 
			 North West 74 107 123 116 121 111 149 132 128 155 159 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 45 87 80 68 88 84 106 117 130 164 108 
			 East Midlands 23 62 61 59 46 67 75 64 102 77 93 
			 West Midlands 44 93 81 65 126 132 137 143 132 108 128 
			 East of England 36 52 60 66 57 84 80 62 107 102 124 
			 London 64 66 67 86 90 77 89 79 79 96 106 
			 South East 69 84 88 115 98 105 98 127 134 158 138 
			 South West 36 49 50 46 74 73 87 57 51 57 57 
			 Wales 26 44 66 90 79 78 76 89 73 66 77 
			 England and Wales 466 721 746 783 838 877 961 946 991 1,054 1,080 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Includes the following statutes and corresponding offence descriptions:  Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(a) Breeding or breeding from a fighting dog.  Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(b) Selling, exchanging, offering, advertising or exposing for sale a fighting dog.  Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(c) Giving or offering to give a fighting dog.  Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(d) Allowing a fighting dog to be in a public place without a muzzle or a lead.  Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(e) Abandoning, or allowing to stray, a fighting dog.  Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(3) Possession, without exemption, of a Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa or other designated fighting dog.  Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 3(1) Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place injuring any person.  Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 3(3) Owner or person in charge allowing dog to enter a non-public place and injure any person.  Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 3(1) Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place, no injury being caused.  Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 3(3) Owner or person in charge allowing dog to enter a non-public place causing reasonable apprehension of injury to a person.  Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 S.4 (8) Failing to give up a dog for destruction or having custody of a dog while disqualified.  Source: Office for Criminal Justice Reform, Evidence  Analysis Unit - Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2:  N umber of persons found guilty at all courts under Section 1, Section 3 and Section 4 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, by region, in England and Wales, 1997 to 2007( 1, 2, 3, 4) 
			  Found guilty 
			  Region  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			  Section 1, 3, and 4 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 
			 North East 17 33 42 38 40 42 35 39 39 45 72 
			 North West 39 67 80 73 75 73 96 82 84 107 124 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 18 53 43 41 51 44 60 73 87 104 64 
			 East Midlands 17 32 35 38 23 38 42 53 62 47 61 
			 West Midlands 22 47 38 30 73 74 63 86 76 84 102 
			 East of England 14 29 32 39 31 38 45 36 67 63 82 
			 London 42 42 41 42 51 52 47 48 47 57 91 
			 South East 43 45 52 58 52 51 42 64 74 82 86 
			 South West 20 32 43 38 76 57 55 51 40 37 44 
			 Wales 9 26 36 49 50 48 46 50 49 42 56 
			 England and Wales 241 406 442 446 522 517 531 582 625 668 782 
			 
			  Section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991  
			 North East 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 
			 North West 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 1 1 19 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 4 0 1 
			 East Midlands 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 1 0 0 
			 West Midlands 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 15 
			 East of England 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 
			 London 11 8 7 2 3 5 1 1 1 3 32 
			 South East 3 1 3 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 
			 South West 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 
			 Wales 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 
			 England and Wales 19 15 12 8 4 7 3 17 11 6 74 
			 
			  Section 3 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991  
			 North East 17 33 41 38 40 42 35 39 39 45 68 
			 North West 38 67 80 73 74 73 94 78 83 106 105 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 18 52 42 40 49 43 60 73 83 104 63 
			 East Midlands 15 32 35 38 23 38 42 39 61 47 61 
			 West Midlands 20 47 38 30 72 74 63 86 74 84 86 
			 East of England 13 27 32 36 31 36 45 35 66 61 81 
			 London 31 34 34 40 48 47 46 47 46 54 59 
			 South East 38 44 49 55 52 50 42 64 74 82 86 
			 South West 20 24 26 24 48 36 44 36 30 33 38 
			 Wales 8 25 35 48 50 48 45 50 49 42 56 
			 England and Wales 218 385 412 422 487 487 516 547 605 658 703 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Includes the following statutes and corresponding offence descriptions:  Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(a) Breeding or breeding from a fighting dog.  Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(b) Selling, exchanging, offering, advertising or exposing for sale a fighting dog.  Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(c) Giving or offering to give a fighting dog.  Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(d)  Allowing a fighting dog to be in a public place without a muzzle or a lead.  Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(e ) Abandoning, or allowing to stray, a fighting dog.  Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(3) Possession, without exemption, of a Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa or other designated fighting dog.  Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 3(1) Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place injuring any person.  Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 3(3) Owner or person in charge allowing dog to enter a non-public place and injure any person.  Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 3(1) Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place, no injury being caused.  Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 3(3) Owner or person in charge allowing dog to enter a non-public place causing reasonable apprehension of injury to a person.  Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 S.4 (8) Failing to give up a dog for destruction or having custody of a dog while disqualified (4) Staffordshire Police Force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates' courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table.  Source: Office for Criminal Justice Reform, Evidence  Analysis Unit - Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Persons fined and given custodial sentences for offences under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sections 1 and 3 broken down by region and fine levels, England and Wales, 1997  to  2007 
			  Dangerous Dogs Act1991/Region/Sentence  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			  Dangerous Dogs Act section 1
			   North East Persons fined
			   Level 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			   Persons given custodial sentence 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			   
			   North West Persons fined
			   Level 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 1 0 
			   Level 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 
			   Persons given custodial sentence 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 
			   
			   Yorkshire and Humberside Persons fined
			   Level 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 
			   Persons given custodial sentence 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			   
			   East Midlands Persons fined
			   Level 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 0 0 0 
			   Level 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 
			   Persons given custodial sentence 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			   
			   West Midlands Persons fined
			   Level 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			   Persons given custodial sentence 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 11 
			   
			   East of England Persons fined
			   Level 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 
			   Persons given custodial sentence 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 
			   
			   London Persons fined
			   Level 1 4 2 4 1 0 4 1 1 1 1 7 
			   Level 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			   Persons given custodial sentence 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 
			   
			   South East Persons fined
			   Level 1 1 0 2 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 
			   Persons given custodial sentence 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			   
			   South West Persons fined
			   Level 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			   Level 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			   Persons given custodial sentence 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			   
			   Wales Persons fined
			   Level 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 
			   Level 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			   Level 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			   Persons given custodial sentence 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			   
			  Dangerous Dogs Act section 3
			   North East Persons fined
			   Level 1 4 13 11 8 7 12 10 5 8 11 16 
			   Level 2 3 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			   Persons given custodial sentence 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			   
			   North West Persons fined
			   Level 1 10 30 36 30 21 25 21 30 23 41 27 
			   Level 2 2 4 1 3 4 2 9 1 3 3 7 
			   Level 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 
			   Level 4 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 
			   Level 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			   Persons given custodial sentence 0 1 2 2 0 1 3 1 1 3 12 
			   
			   Yorkshire and Humberside Persons fined
			   Level 1 5 14 15 11 21 24 22 23 27 22 18 
			   Level 2 1 1 2 0 2 1 3 3 7 4 4 
			   Level 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			   Persons given custodial sentence 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 4 2 
			   
			   East Midlands Persons fined
			   Level 1 5 10 11 13 8 14 13 11 18 8 14 
			   Level 2 0 0 3 2 1 3 0 1 2 3 3 
			   Level 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 
			   Level 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 
			   Persons given custodial sentence 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 3 2 
			   
			   West Midlands Persons fined
			   Level 1 9 9 11 8 24 31 26 34 28 35 27 
			   Level 2 0 3 3 2 5 0 3 4 6 4 6 
			   Level 3 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 
			   Level 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 
			   Level 5 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			   Persons given custodial sentence 0 1 0 1 0 1 2 1 0 2 4 
			   
			   East of England Persons fined
			   Level 1 3 9 8 7 10 15 14 12 20 17 21 
			   Level 2 0 0 0 2 4 2 6 3 4 2 6 
			   Level 3 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 
			   Level 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 
			   Persons given custodial sentence 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 
			   
			   London Persons fined
			   Level 1 12 8 12 17 20 15 20 14 9 12 9 
			   Level 2 3 2 1 7 0 3 4 5 3 4 6 
			   Level 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 
			   Level 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 
			   Persons given custodial sentence 0 0 1 0 1 2 0 2 0 3 4 
			   
			   South East Persons fined
			   Level 1 9 12 17 19 13 17 9 14 15 19 27 
			   Level 2 0 5 2 1 4 2 6 5 3 10 7 
			   Level 3 1 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 
			   Level 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			   Persons given custodial sentence 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 
			   
			   South West Persons fined
			   Level 1 6 6 9 7 17 8 7 6 4 5 8 
			   Level 2 0 1 2 4 6 2 3 0 1 4 1 
			   Level 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 
			   Persons given custodial sentence 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 1 
			   
			   Wales Persons fined
			   Level 1 4 11 13 20 23 22 21 27 20 17 19 
			   Level 2 0 1 0 0 2 3 1 0 3 2 4 
			   Level 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 
			   Level 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 
			   Persons given custodial sentence 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 3 
			  Note: These figures are on the principal offence basis.  Source: (OMSAS)03-09

Departmental Air Travel

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend, East (Mr. Duddridge) of 21 October 2008,  Official Report, column 257W, on departmental air travel, if he will place in the Library the figures for 2007-08.

Phil Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department's air travel for 2007-08 is set out in the following table:
	
		
			   km 
			 Domestic air travel 4,985,381 
			 Short-haul air travel 2,601,782 
			 Long-haul air travel 6,369,225 
			 Total 13,956,388 
		
	
	These data cover some business areas that are now part of the Ministry of Justice.
	All official travel is carried out in accordance with the requirements of the Civil Service Management Code.
	The Home Office participates in the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund which is co-ordinated by DEFRA. This ensures the Department offsets carbon dioxide emissions from its official air travel.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether his Department has adopted the Carbon Trust's Carbon Management Programme.

Shahid Malik: The Ministry of Justice has not adopted the Carbon Trust's Carbon Management Programme throughout. Her Majesty's Prison Service launched a Carbon Management Programme last year in co-operation with the Carbon Trust. Her Majesty's Land Registry are part way through the implementation of a Carbon Management Programme. Other parts of the Department are working with the Carbon Trust through the commissioning of energy surveys.

Departmental Electronic Equipment

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department and its predecessor have spent on  (a) flat screen televisions,  (b) DVD players and  (c) stereo equipment in each of the last three years.  [Official Report, 23 November 2009, Vol. 501, c. 4MC.]

Maria Eagle: The information requested is contained in the following table.
	
		
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			   Flat screen  DVD  Stereo  Flat screen  DVD  Stereo  Flat screen  DVD  Stereo 
			 MOJ HQ(1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 40,193 3,876 0 
			 Office for Criminal Justice Reform Based in Home Office premises 
			 HMPS 0 
			 NOMS 0 
			 HMCS 0 
			 Tribunal 0 0 0 10,000 0 0 10,000 0 0 
			 Total 0 0 0 10,000 0 0 50,193 3,876 0 
			 Grand total 64,069 
			 (1)Cost includes supply, installation and commissioning, exclusive of VAT. 
		
	
	The vast majority of the screens installed at 102 Petty France are not operating as televisions but even where for example they run BBC News 24 it is not obtained via the in-built receivers but run over the network via the media star installation (Parliamentary TV).
	Information for Her Majesty's Prison Service. National Offender Management Service and Her Majesty's Courts Service could be obtained only at disproportionate costs. The information requested is not held centrally, requiring contact with each court and prison region. The Prison Service alone has 40 regions nationwide.
	In addition to the costs stated for the Tribunals Service (TS), a further 35,000 was capitalised on video conference facilities for the Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel CICAP in 2006-07. This enabled the reduction of costs of staff incurred through travel/time within the TS.

Departmental Energy

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps have been taken by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies to improve the thermal efficiency of their buildings in the last 12 months.

Shahid Malik: Steps taken by the Ministry of Justice to improve the thermal efficiency of its core headquarters buildings in the last 12 months cover a range of work such as:
	the installation of additional roof insulation;
	improved draught proofing of windows;
	thermal insulation of pipework;
	re-balancing of air conditioning to improve operational, energy and thermal efficiency; and,
	the refurbishment of 102 Petty France which saw the building fabric and systems improved to meet the high BREEAM(1) standards.
	In respect of the Agencies for which the Ministry is responsible:
	Her Majesty's Court Service (HMCS): all new buildings are required to be designed using the Court Standard and Design Guide which incorporates building regulations and includes details of U values (the measurement of heat transfer through a given building material, glass etc., the lower the U Value-the better the insulator) and thermal modelling. The use of the Design Guide assists developers in achieving BREEAM Excellent for all new building and Very Good for refurbishments. This means that they would be in excess of Building Regulations in terms of thermal efficiency. There are a wide range of factors required to achieve BREEAM Excellent, so the extent of the thermal efficiency improvement would vary from building to building so as to achieve the best overall thermal performance for that building.
	HMCS has carried out research to ascertain which types of building from the existing stock are the most energy efficient. HMCS has used this information to prioritise the retention of the most energy efficient buildings, the disposal of the least energy efficient, and targeted improvement of the thermal efficiency of all retained building stock. This is leading to an ongoing improvement in the thermal efficiency of the overall estate.
	Tribunals Service: no specific work has been undertaken in the last 12 months.
	National Offender Management Service-Her Majesty's Prison Service (HMPS): In undertaking a Carbon Management Programme (from June 2008) HMPS are identifying cost-effective opportunities for saving carbon. Included in these are building fabric improvements to improve the thermal efficiency. These opportunities are being costed and prioritised, and will be implemented subject to approval of the implementation plan.
	HM Land Registry have not taken specific action to improve the thermal efficiency of their buildings, in the last 12 months, mainly because they carried out this work on most of their buildings over a lengthy period prior to then especially in relation to providing double glazed windows.
	The National Archives (TNA): no direct steps have been taken to improve thermal efficiency of TNA's Kew site in the last 12 months. The Carbon Trust and TEAM Energy Auditing Agency have provided energy saving recommendations.
	(1) For over a decade, BREEAM has been used to assess the environmental performance of both new and existing buildings. It is regarded by the UK's construction and property sectors as the measure of best practice in environmental design and management.

Departmental Energy

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent progress his Department has made towards the target of increasing its energy efficiency per square metre of its Estate by 15 per cent. by 2010, relative to 1999-2000 levels; and if he will make a statement.

Shahid Malik: The Ministry of Justice and its Executive agencies have made progress towards the target of increasing energy efficiency per square metre of estate by 15 per cent. by 2010, relative to 1999-2000 levels. In 2007-08, we achieved an 18.8 per cent. reduction in energy use. This information was published in the seventh annual Sustainable Development in Government Report (SDiG) at:
	http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/sdig2008

Departmental Furniture

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much has been spent by his Department on furniture made by  (a) British firms,  (b) Remploy and  (c) overseas firms in each year since it was established.

Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Justice was established on 9 May 2007. Since establishment, expenditure on furniture for planned large scale projects and refurbishments, breaks down as follows:
	 (a) British firms; 5,999,577.
	 (b) Remploy; Nil.
	 (c) Overseas firms; 1,525,000.
	Remploy has not competed for any raw material tender to date. We manufacture furniture in house, using contracted back up suppliers and inmates through prison industries. In line with our requirement to use prison industries as far as possible for this area of work. However we are currently in the final stages of awarding a contract to Remploy for the provision of education and employment training for prisoners. The contract award is for three years with provision to extend for an additional year and is valued at approximately 1.6 million.
	Expenditure is also incurred by individual business areas for local ad-hoc requirements, however records for this expenditure are not held centrally and to provide information on these purchases would be disproportionate in terms of cost and time.

Departmental Lost Property

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what property has been lost or stolen from his Department in the last 12 months; and what the estimated cost was of replacement of such property.

Jack Straw: Details of individual cases of property lost or stolen are maintained at a local level, and to obtain all information across the MoJ could be completed only at disproportionate cost. To determine which cases the police were involved in and to determine the replacement cost of the property could similarly be gathered only by making queries at an operational level across the organisation at disproportionate cost.
	For the year to date 2008-09 the following unaudited balances are available for the value of property lost or stolen within HM Prison Service, where the majority of cases arise, totalling 190,396. This comprises:
	Losses of stores: 863 instances; 98,357;
	Loss of personal property for which compensation was paid to prisoners, staff or third parties: 1,598 instances; 92,038.

Departmental Public Appointments

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which former  (a) Members of the House of Lords and  (b) hon. Members who left Parliament since 1997 have been appointed to public bodies for which his Department is responsible; and who made each such appointment.

Michael Wills: Non-departmental public bodies handle their own appointments and this information on who has been appointed and who made these appointments is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Lists of board members are published in individual bodies' annual reports and accounts.

Departmental Publications

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the  (a) production and printing and  (b) other costs to his Department of producing its most recent (i) departmental annual report and (ii) autumn performance report.

Maria Eagle: The production and printing costs of the Ministry of Justice departmental annual report 2007-08 were 26,229.67.
	The production and printing costs for the Ministry of Justice autumn performance report 2008 were 14,133. There were no other costs.

Departmental Recycling

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much and what proportion of its waste his Department recycled in 2007-08.

Shahid Malik: The amount of total waste arisings in 2007-08 for the Ministry of Justice and its Executive agencies was 71,060.0 tonnes. The proportion of waste the Department recycled in 2007-08 was 15,635.6 tonnes (22 per cent. of waste arisings). This information was published in the seventh annual Sustainable Development in Government Report (SDiG) at:
	http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/sdig2008/

Departmental Standards

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of measuring compliance with its targets under its public service agreements in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Justice autumn performance report 2008 contains details of the data sources used to monitor all of the Department's currently-live PSA targets. In each case, the Department is using pre-existing sources of statistics or management information to measure compliance. There are therefore no costs arising from the creation of new data collection systems to monitor PSA targets.
	In some cases, targets are monitored using output from recent expansion or development of established data sources. However, where costs have been incurred through this development work, it is not possible to separate costs specifically associated with PSA target monitoring from those associated with more general, ongoing improvements to the Department's evidence base.

National Offender Management Service: Consultants

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the policy of the National Offender Management Service is on appointing consultants from firms not approved by the Office of Government Commerce.

Jack Straw: The Office of Government Commerce (OGC) Catalist frameworks are the frameworks of choice for National Offender Management Service and new consultancy requirements are satisfied largely via competitions within the appropriate frameworks. Non-OGC Catalist suppliers are utilised only in cases where Catalist is deemed not to be able to satisfy the specialist nature of a requirement or, in a few limited cases, where the continued provision of services from a non-Catalist supplier is required for proven business continuity. In all instances, the commercial route is vetted and approved by qualified Procurement Directorate staff.

National Offender Management Service: Consultants

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of consultancy contracts initiated by the National Offender Management Service were awarded to ASE Consulting Ltd in  (a) 2006,  (b) 2007 and  (c) 2008.

Jack Straw: Centralised historical data are not available before the financial year 2007-08, as the Department has only had a centralised consultancy contracting team since April 2008. Several reorganisations within the Departments making up the National Offender Management Service have also seen responsibility for data collection and retention shift. A current register of contracts is held which includes data for the period April 2008 to current date only. To investigate periods outside this range would therefore incur significant disproportionate costs.
	During the period April 2008 to date, 341 contracts and contract extensions were awarded, of which five were with ASE Consulting Ltd.

National Offender Management Service: Consultants

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will review the processes by which the National Offender Management Service appoints consultants to ensure efficiency.

Jack Straw: A mandatory process that governs the use and procurement of consultants and specialist contractors was introduced to the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) in April 2008. This process requires adherence to clear policy and procedure in respect of the engagement of consultants and specialist contractors and includes a clear approvals and assurance process.
	All requirements are reviewed and the commercial route approved by a dedicated and qualified procurement team in the Ministry of Justice Procurement Directorate to ensure compliance with internal policy and EU Public Procurement Regulations. The same team deliver subsequent contractual requirements.

National Offender Management Service: Consultants

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much the National Offender Management Scheme spent on consultants in  (a) 2006,  (b) 2007 and  (c) 2008.

Jack Straw: Centralised historical data are not available before the financial year 2007-08, as the Department has only had a centralised consultancy contracting team since April 2008. Several reorganisations within the Departments making up the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) have also seen responsibility for data collection and retention shift. A current register of contracts is held which includes data for the period April 2008 to current date only. To investigate periods outside this range would therefore incur significant disproportionate costs.
	Consultancy expenditure across NOMS in the financial year 2007-08 was 3.4 million.

National Offender Management Service: Finance

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the planned resource budget of  (a) the National Offender Management Service headquarters,  (b) HM Prison Service and  (c) the National Probation Service is for 2009-10.

Jack Straw: The allocation of the resource budget for the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) is not yet finalised. The main estimates which will provide the funding for the three funding streams of NOMS headquarters, operations and probation boards, will be laid before Parliament in June.

National Offender Management Service: Manpower

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what change is planned in the full-time equivalent headcount of  (a) the National Offender Management Service,  (b) the National Probation Service and  (c) HM Courts Service by the end of 2009-10.

Jack Straw: The Ministry of Justice is committed to delivering 1 billion of saving by March 2011 and establishing a modern and efficient justice system that delivers the best possible service to our customers and the public.
	Budgets for 2009-10 have been agreed. Detailed work force plans for next financial year are being developed across headquarters; by Regional and area directors in HM Courts Service; and by Directors of Offender Management, Governors and Chief Officers of Probation for National Offender Management Service, including the level of estimated exits due to natural wastage. This work has yet to be completed and the Department will continue to consult with trade unions as the plans develop. I will write to the hon. and learned Gentleman with the figures when they are available, which I expect to be by the end of June 2009.

Offences against Children

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders aged 21 years or over received a caution for sexual activity with a child under 13 years in each year since 2004.

Maria Eagle: Information on the number of offenders aged 21 and over cautioned for sexual activity with a child under 13 in England and Wales in each year from 2004 to 2007 (latest available) is shown in the following table.
	For such indictable only offences, the decision to prosecute is taken by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), based on the seriousness of the offence, the evidence before them and the public interest. In the majority of cases a caution would not be appropriate for this type of offence. However in exceptional circumstances the police and CPS may decide that it is in the best interests of the victim not to prosecute. Issuing a caution in such circumstances for an offence under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 ensures that the offender will be placed on the sex offenders register. The caution forms part of their criminal record. The caution may also be cited in court in any subsequent proceedings and can be made known to a prospective employer.
	
		
			  Number of offenders aged 21 years and over cautioned for offences relating to sexual activity with a child aged under 13( 1) , England and Wales, 2004 to 2007( 2,)( )( 3) 
			   Aged 21 and over 
			 2004 23 
			 2005 73 
			 2006 69 
			 2007 64 
			 (1) Includes the following statutes under the Sexual Offences Act 2003; Sections 5, 6, 7, 8 (1) (2) and (3), 9 (1)(a)(b)(c)(ii) and (2) and (3), 10 (1)(a)(b)(c)(ii) and (3), 11 (1)(a)(b)(c)(d)(ii) and (2), 12 (1)(a)(b)(c)(ii) and 2, 25 (1)(e)(ii) and (2)-(4)(a)(b), 49 (l)(a)(b)(ii) and (2). (2) The cautions statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been cautioned for two or more offences at the same time the principal offence is the more serious offence. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Evidence and Analysis UnitOffice for Criminal Justice Reform.

Offensive Weapons: Sentencing

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders received  (a) a caution,  (b) immediate custody,  (c) a fine,  (d) a community sentence,  (e) an absolute or conditional discharge and  (f) another disposal for unlawful possession of a knife in the last year for which data are available.

Jack Straw: The requested information is shown in the following table. Statistics published by the Ministry of Justice in the first quarterly knife crime sentencing bulletin (on 12 March) showed:
	More offenders are being sent to jail (23 per cent.): the number of offences resulting in immediate custody rose from 1,125 in the last quarter of 2007 to 1,386 in the same period of 2008. On average there was a 40 per cent. increase in the number of prisoners serving a sentence for possession of an offensive weapon between the same periods.
	Fewer cautions being issued: the number fell 31 per cent. over the same period (1,706 in the last quarter of 2008 compared to 2,455 in the same period of 2007).
	More use of tougher community sentences: the number of offences resulting in community sentences rose 16 per cent. (from 1,861 in the last quarter of 2007 to 2,151 in the same period of 2007).
	Longer sentences: the average immediate custodial sentence has risen by 38 per cent. (from 133 days in the last quarter of 2007 to 184 days in the same period of 2008).
	The proportion of all possession offences resulting in immediate custody rose to 21 per cent. in the last quarter of 2008 from 17 per cent. in the same period of 2007. The proportion of offences resulting in a caution decreased from 36 per cent. in the last quarter of 2007 to 25 per cent. in the last quarter of 2008.
	The statistics also show a decline in the total number of offences involving possession of a knife or other offensive weapon (6,704 offences were dealt with between October and December last year, compared to 6,808 in the same period of 2007).
	The figures presented are taken from the Ministry of Justice's publication Knife Crime Sentencing: Quarterly Brief published on 12 March 2009 and available from:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/knife-crime-sentencing.htm
	These figures have been drawn from the police's administrative IT system, the police national computer (PNC), which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.
	PNC data have been used here rather than court data, which are the usual source of published sentencing statistics, as the PNC provides more up-to-date figures ahead of the finalised annual court data.
	
		
			  Offences involving the possession of a knife or offensive weapon resulting in a caution or sentence( 1, 2) , England and Wales, 2008 
			   Number 
			 Total 27,644 
			   
			 Cautions (includes juvenile reprimands and final warnings) 8,368 
			 Absolute/conditional discharge 1,337 
			 Fine 1,091 
			 Community sentence 8,401 
			 Suspended sentence 2,432 
			 Immediate custody 5,317 
			 Other disposal 698 
			 (1) As recorded by the police on the police national computer. (2) The figures are a count of offences rather than offenders. Where an offender has been sentenced for several possession offences, each sentence has been counted.  Data Source and Quality These figures have been drawn from the police's administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.  Source: OMS Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice.

Office for Criminal Justice Reform: Finance

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the budget for each major area of expenditure of the Office for Criminal Justice Reform has been in each year since its establishment.

Maria Eagle: The following table shows the budget for each major area of expenditure of the Office for Criminal Justice Reform each year since its establishment.
	
		
			   million 
			Admin Pay  Admin Other  Admin Total  Programme  Total Resources  Capital  Total Budget 
			 2004/5 Criminal Justice IT 3.00 4.00 7.00 43.79 50.79 8.82 59.60 
			  Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority204.20 204.20  204.20 
			  Criminal Cases Review Commission7.84 7.84 0.62 8.46 
			  OCJR core 8.69 12.11 20.80 34.48 55.29 6.21 61.49 
			   11.69 16.11 27.80 290.31 318.11 15.64 333.76 
			 2005/6 Criminal Justice IT 3.03 2.13 5.16 39.70 44.86 44.77 89.63 
			  Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority214.00 214.00  214.00 
			  Criminal Cases Review Commission7.80 7.80 0.16 7.96 
			  OCJR core 10.60 6.21 16.80 40.39 57.19 0.87 58.06 
			   13.63 8.33 21.96 301.89 323.85 45.80 369.65 
			 2006/7 Criminal Justice IT 2.98 1.52 4.50 55.76 60.26 31.57 91.83 
			  Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority221.00 221.00  221.00 
			  Criminal Cases Review Commission7.61 7.61 0.06 7.66 
			  OCJR core 10.74 3.63 14.36 46.00 60.36 7.40 67.76 
			   13.72 5.15 18.86 330.36 349.23 39.02 388.25 
			 2007-08 Criminal Justice IT 3.49 0.89 4.37 58.63 63.01 35.91 98.92 
			  Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority245.00 245.00  245.00 
			  Criminal Cases Review Commission7.27 7.27 0.10 7.37 
			  OCJR core 12.23 2.97 15.20 37.31 52.51 1.58 54.09 
			   15.72 3.86 19.58 348.21 367.79 3759 405.38 
			 2008-09 OCJR 15.79 3.00 18.79 111.70 130.50 35.40 165.90 
		
	
	The CJIT ring fence was wound down at the end of 2007-08 and its central functions absorbed into OCJR.
	During 2008-09, responsibility for the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, and the Criminal Cases Review Commission transferred from OCJR to the Access to Justice Group of the Ministry of Justice.

Office for Judicial Complaints: Expenditure

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much the Office for Judicial Complaints spent in 2007-08.

Jack Straw: The Office for Judicial Complaints' costs for 2007-08 were 1,180,000. This figure does not include costs associated with its accommodation or the facilities provided as shared services by the Ministry of Justice.

Prisoners: Drugs

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners enrolled on courses for drug and alcohol abuse in each of the last five years.

Jack Straw: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) has in place a comprehensive drug treatment framework, based on the National Treatment Agency's revised Models of Care, to address the different needs of drug-misusers in prison. The interventions available are designed to meet the needs of low, moderate and severe drug misusersirrespective of age, gender or ethnicity.
	The following table shows the number of interventions delivered in the last five full financial years in prisons by intervention type. Individual prisoners may have accessed more than one of these interventions in the time period.
	A range of interventions are available in prisons to support those with an alcohol problem:
	clinical servicesalcohol detoxification is available in all local and remand prisons;
	where alcohol is part of a wider substance misuse problem, the full range of drug interventions are available;
	a number of prisons run alcohol awareness courses;
	Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) run groups in over 65 per cent. of prisons;
	some offending behaviour programmes address the underlying factors which occur in alcohol related crime;
	an accredited 12-step alcohol programme is being run at HMP Bullingdon;
	a further four more intensive alcohol programmes based on cognitive behavioural therapy have been piloted at HMP Hull, Forest Bank, Glen Parva and Chelmsford;
	for those prisons involved in the roll-out of the Integrated Drug Treatment System a 90-minute alcohol awareness session has been developed; and
	the young persons substance misuse service for 16 to 18-year-old prisoners has a particular focus on alcohol.
	The Ministry of Justice has established a working group to develop proposals to increase the provision of alcohol treatment available in prisons. The number of prisoners accessing services specifically aimed at their alcohol misuse is not collated centrally.
	
		
			  Table 1: Interventions delivered( 1)  (rounded to nearest hundred) 
			  Intervention type  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Intensive Drug Rehabilitation Programmes(2) (starts) 4,700 7,600 10,700 11,200 11,300 
			 CARATs(3) (substance misuse triage assessments) 54,100 59,000 66,000 65,700 65,800 
			 Young People's Substance Misuse Service (initial assessments)   8,500 8,300 7,400 
			 Clinical Treatment (detoxification or maintenance prescribing)(4) 57,900 53,900 53,800 51,500 58,800 
			 Total 116,700 120,500 139,000 136,700 143,300 
			 (1) These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. (2) Programmes available in prison are split into four main categories: cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), the 12-Step approach, Therapeutic Communities (TCs), Short Duration Programme (SDP). (3) Counselling, assessment, referral, advice and throughcare services. (4) Drug and alcohol detoxification data cannot be disaggregated.

Prisoners: Suicide

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of suicides in prisons in England and Wales were committed by  (a) foreign national prisoners and  (b) foreign national prisoners held beyond the expiration of their sentence in each of the last 10 years.

David Hanson: Any death in custody is a tragic event. The Government are committed to learning from such events and reducing the number of self-inflicted deaths in prison custody. The National Offender Management Service has a broad, integrated and evidence-based prisoner suicide prevention and self harm management strategy that seeks to reduce the distress of all those in prison. This encompasses a wide spectrum of prison and Department of Health work around such issues as mental health, substance misuse and resettlement. Any prisoner identified as at risk of suicide or self-harm is cared for using the assessment, care in custody and teamwork (ACCT) procedures.
	The numbers and proportions of foreign national prisoner self-inflicted deaths are summarised in the following table.
	
		
			  Table: Self-inflicted deaths in prison custody (England and Wales) by nationality type 
			  Percentage 
			   EEA foreign n ational  Non  EEA f oreign national  UK  n ational  Total  Foreign nationals 
			 1999 4 3 84 91 7.7 
			 2000 3 1 77 81 4.9 
			 2001 2 3 68 73 6.8 
			 2002 4 5 86 95 9.5 
			 2003 2 6 86 94 8.5 
			 2004 2 5 88 95 7.4 
			 2005 1 5 72 78 7.7 
			 2006 2 4 61 67 9.0 
			 2007 6 18 68 92 26.1 
			 2008 1 8 52 61 14.8 
		
	
	We do not specifically record whether foreign national prisoners died beyond their expiry date. However, of the 85 self-inflicted deaths among foreign nationals in the 10 years 1999 to 2008 there were four foreign national self-inflicted deaths of immigration detainees recorded in prison custody. Three of these were in 2003 and one in 2008.

Prisoners: Syria

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many Syrian nationals are serving sentences in prisons in England and Wales.

David Hanson: At the end of December 2008, there were four Syrian nationals serving sentences in prisons in England and Wales.
	This figure was drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisons

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether each of the three new titan prisons will be privately managed.

Jack Straw: The pre-Budget report (paragraph 6.30), published in November 2008, said that for the next three years only the private sector would be invited to bid for the construction and operation of new build prisons. The Government response to the consultation on large new prisons will be published in due course.

Prisons: Standards

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 5 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1789W, on prisons: standards, when the function of  (a) Her Majesty's Prison Wolds and  (b) Her Majesty's Prison and Young Offenders Institution Ashfield last changed; and for what reason no prison performance rating for each was published in the last quarter.

David Hanson: HMP Wolds opened in April 1992 as a remand prison and in 1993 was re-roled to a local category B prison holding sentenced prisoners. The initial management contract ran for five years and was renewed for a further five years in 1997. In 2001, HMP Wolds was subject to a competitive re-bid. G4S was the successful bidder for the contract to run HMP Wolds as a category C training prison for a further 10 years.
	HMP and YOI Ashfield opened on 1 November 1999 and accommodated both juveniles (aged 15 to 17) and young offenders (aged 18 to 21) until February 2004 when it was re-roled as an all juvenile establishment holding young people between 15 but under 18 years of age.
	Performance Management Group (National Offender Management Service) owns and manages the Prison Performance Assessment Tool (PPAT) which assesses around 120 public prisons by looking at performance in 33 indicators, which is then cross checked with a rating produced by assessing against a set of 44 indicators in the public prison weighted scorecard. For private prisons only the PPAT is used to produce the data driven assessment. Both HMP Ashfield's and HMP Wolds' performance ratings were published on 12 December 2008 and are available via the following link:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/prison-quarterly-ratings-quarter-2-2008-09.pdf
	In the most recent published ratings (quarter 2) both prisons achieved a level 3 rating for good performance.

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many assaults by prisoners on a  (a) prisoner and  (b) prison officer were recorded in each prison establishment in each year since 2002; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many assaults by prisoners on a  (a) prisoner and  (b) prison officer were recorded in each year since 2002 in each female prison establishment; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how many assaults by prisoners on a  (a) prisoner and  (b) prison officer were recorded in each young offenders' institution in each year since 2002; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: Reducing violence in prisons is a priority for Ministers, The National Offender Management Service and the Prison Officers Association and we are collectively committed to working towards a zero tolerance approach to prison violence. Since 2004, a national strategy has directed every public sector prison to have in place a local violence reduction strategy and since mid 2007 this has been applied to the public and contracted out estate. A whole-prison approach is encouraged, engaging all staff, all disciplines and prisoners in challenging unacceptable behaviour, problem-solving and personal safety.
	The information set out in tables 1, 2 and 3 show the number of prisoner on prisoner assaults in all prisons, female prisons and young offender institutions respectively. Similarly tables 4, 5 and 6 show the numbers of prisoner on officer assault incidents. It is important to note that the recorded incidents of assaults on prison officers are not completely exclusive to officers and may include assaults on other prison staff. The numbers supplied refer to the number of individual assault incidents; they include all incidents recorded as assaults and may also include threatening behaviour, projection of bodily fluids and other non-contact events and allegations.
	The following information is subject to important qualifications. The NOMS Incident Reporting System processes high volumes of data which are constantly being updated. The numbers provide a good indication of overall numbers but should not be interpreted as absolute. Rises or falls in reported numbers from one year to the next are not a good indicator of an underlying trend for a particular prison. Additionally there have been improvements in reporting over the years, and this is reflected in the tables.
	Assault data are complex and the numbers need to be interpreted with caution. Information recorded as assault incidents may involve one or many prisoners as some assault incidents may involve more than one assailant or more than one victim. Additionally in a proportion of incidents only the victim is known.
	As prisons have changed roles over time the hon. Gentleman's attention is brought to the notes to the tables which indicate when some of the more significant changes took place.
	
		
			  Table 1: Prisoner on prisoner assault incidents by establishment( 1) 
			  Prison  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Acklington 49 39 33 38 73 65 50 
			 Albany 3 5 15 3 4   
			 Altcourse 163 159 183 194 195 226 153 
			 Ashfield 429 271 304 500 625 653 608 
			 Ashwell 8 9 15 17 9 17 16 
			 Askham Grange 1  1  1 1 2 
			 Aylesbury 44 26 21 78 80 79 91 
			 Bedford 49 44 49 41 55 36 55 
			 Belmarsh 60 76 67 53 51 25 25 
			 Birmingham 90 105 139 103 118 109 96 
			 Blakenhurst 271 256 192 149 151 213 87 
			 Blantyre House1
			 Blundeston 36 39 26 14 15 33 30 
			 Brinsford 281 304 326 344 187 187 324 
			 Bristol 107 84 100 95 85 73 72 
			 Brixton 130 122 106 73 40 60 78 
			 Brockhill 23 25 19 28 20 8 7 
			 Bronzefield   37 92 113 98 103 
			 Buckley Hall 45 72 76 62 57 37 24 
			 Bullingdon 59 40 36 59 45 68 87 
			 Bullwood Hall20 16 10 12 
			 Camp Hill 47 67 51 54 55 35  
			 Canterbury 9 5 12 15 13 20 30 
			 Cardiff 46 50 53 50 47 25 19 
			 Castington 363 312 384 361 360 385 433 
			 Channings Wood 12 21 22 38 53 54 56 
			 Chelmsford 60 62 82 68 105 32 39 
			 Coldingley 2  16 7 18 11 13 
			 Cookham Wood 7 12 7 2 4 5 19 
			 Dartmoor 25 20 11 29 26 26 38 
			 Deerbolt 154 167 205 164 152 160 180 
			 Doncaster 87 39 77 94 144 127 192 
			 Dorchester 9 13 11 19 18 33 26 
			 Dovegate 40 56 73 66 66 55 44 
			 Dover 14 16 9 9 23 64 47 
			 Downview 13 6 14 29 25 12 12 
			 Drake Hall 3 13 7 9 6 20 8 
			 Durham 65 59 79 89 146 127 120 
			 East Sutton Park   31 
			 Eastwood Park 14 23 31 51 47 15 10 
			 Edmunds Hill  47 26 23 27 26 21 
			 Elmley 88 84 104 134 100 125 122 
			 Erlestoke 6 10 26 26 22 35 38 
			 Everthorpe 9 5 20 42 65 69 61 
			 Exeter 37 37 26 34 35 24 38 
			 Featherstone 60 51 54 69 70 90 103 
			 Feltham 459 569 576 549 476 428 552 
			 Ford 7 2 20 17 6 6 10 
			 Forest Bank 304 308 397 430 339 213 233 
			 Foston Hall 17 19 26 26 23 28 9 
			 Frankland 15 21 18 24 26 31 41 
			 Full Sutton 8 15 27 37 45 52 52 
			 Garth 36 23 27 59 63 65 91 
			 Gartree 1 1 2 9 8 12 9 
			 Glen Parva 222 241 230 269 341 364 464 
			 Gloucester 56 36 62 41 56 47 63 
			 Grendon / Spring Hill 4 5 4 2 2 5 1 
			 Guys Marsh 43 41 49 43 57 73 68 
			 Haslar 5 1  2 1 8 15 
			 Haverigg 19 17 22 30 41 68 80 
			 Hewell Cluster   67 
			 Hewell Grange  1 6  1 3 1 
			 High Down 85 97 119 101 134 118 157 
			 Highpoint 130 82 91 72 74 80 82 
			 Hindley 88 177 63 112 348 498 493 
			 Hollesley Bay 179 45 1 4 2 3 2 
			 Holloway 98 91 80 94 121 118 112 
			 Holme House 71 89 69 86 98 124 96 
			 Hull 84 91 168 166 121 140 87 
			 Huntercombe 44 77 79 95 184 280 392 
			 Kennet  5 27 
			 Kingston  2 3 1 3 1  
			 Kirkham 3 1 4 3 1 3 2 
			 Kirklevington 1  2 
			 Lancaster 12 11 4 10 10 20 13 
			 Lancaster Farms 130 17 185 435 363 357 326 
			 Latchmere House   1 
			 Leeds 96 148 137 109 104 92 81 
			 Leicester 70 59 53 42 51 34 40 
			 Lewes 89 104 60 62 73 63 130 
			 Leyhill  3 5 6 7 4 4 
			 Lincoln 81 68 47 56 60 87 121 
			 Lindholme 17 43 42 33 37 52 57 
			 Littlehey 31 32 37 41 39 38 22 
			 Liverpool 94 109 118 127 162 226 222 
			 Long Lartin 16 17 16 36 38 43 29 
			 Low Newton 94 117 89 62 68 65 74 
			 Lowdham Grange 20 19 20 37 73 41 47 
			 Maidstone 16 ¦10 21 14 11 18 15 
			 Manchester 191 217 182 142 172 127 143 
			 Moorland 177 139 34 94 89 91 86 
			 Moorland Open (Hatfield) 28 11 3 8 1 1 2 
			 Morton Hall 7 13 16 9 15 12 8 
			 Mount 17 25 16 55 48 45 77 
			 New Hall 47 32 77 84 44 56 64 
			 North Sea Camp   4 3 7 2 2 
			 Northallerton 80 82 84 104 82 100 99 
			 Norwich 132 128 11 20 40 13 4 
			 Nottingham 61 66 74 64 55 85 82 
			 Onley 516 509 161 152 153 216 223 
			 Pare 198 233 227 247 241 315 381 
			 Parkhurst 16 34 38 37 33 9  
			 Pentonville 129 165 120 139 155 145 186 
			 Peterborough100 221 221 213 
			 Portland 71 61 125 154 127 193 165 
			 Preston 23 71 62 77 78 105 117 
			 Ranby 39 38 19 30 52 42 67 
			 Reading 7 23 25 76 57 45 25 
			 Risley 39 60 107 103 102 108 112 
			 Rochester 32 51 102 78 100 75 143 
			 Rye Hill 10 19 40 53 65 66 35 
			 Send 4 5 2 17 11 7 13 
			 Shepton Mallet 10 3 3 1  4 2 
			 Shrewsbury 35 44 41 50 29 39 40 
			 Stafford 11 19 41 58 39 76 62 
			 Standford Hill 2 3 2 7 5 4 3 
			 Stocken 37 36 33 39 43 60 57 
			 Stoke Heath 241 137 239 438 506 527 500 
			 Styal 13 9 28 25 39 58 39 
			 Sudbury 1 1 1 2  4 1 
			 Swaleside 32 25 25 32 41 52 57 
			 Swansea 9 16 16 20 30 19 26 
			 Swinfen Hall 127 110 96 104 89 88 88 
			 Thorn Cross 56 39 7 19 143 84 42 
			 Usk/Prescoed 1 2 1 3 1 11 13 
			 Verne 10 13 16 22 9 10 18 
			 Wakefield 10 8 18 26 24 17 36 
			 Wandsworth 54 51 74 77 69 95 59 
			 Warren Hill  93 162 256 268 321 334 
			 Wayland 23 65 51 59 49 58 56 
			 Wealstun 9 14 7 9 28 24 41 
			 Weare 48 52 55 23
			 Wellingborough 12 17 12 30 49 35 76 
			 Werrington 114 129 104 139 144 141 197 
			 Wetherby 41 175 414 492 403 353 389 
			 Whatton 3 9 5 2 8 16 26 
			 Whitemoor 30 18 15 21 22 31 27 
			 Winchester 43 65 57 47 35 26 29 
			 Wolds 52 27 41 23 30 49 50 
			 Woodhill 7 27 51 67 57 52 93 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 69 89 129 142 147 137 124 
			 Wymott  8 3 9 24 30 28 
			 Total 8,686 8,946 9,401 10,876 11,514 11,986 12,740 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Prisoner on prisoner assault incidents in female prisons( 1) 
			  Prison  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Askham Grange 1  1  1 1 2 
			 Bronzefield   37 92 113 98 103 
			 Downview 13 6 14 29 25 12 12 
			 Drake Hall 3 13 7 9 6 20 8 
			 East Sutton Park   31 
			 Eastwood Park 14 23 31 51 47 15 10 
			 Foston Hall 17 19 26 26 23 28 9 
			 Holloway 98 91 80 94 121 118 112 
			 Low Newton 94 117 89 62 68 65 74 
			 Morton Hall 7 13 16 9 15 12 8 
			 New Hall 47 32 77 84 44 56 64 
			 Send 4 5 2 17 11 7 13 
			 Styal 13 9 28 25 39 58 39 
			 Total 311 328 411 498 513 490 455 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Prisoner on prisoner assault incidents in young offender institutions( 1) 
			  Prison  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Ashfield 429 271 304 500 625 653 608 
			 Aylesbury 44 26 21 78 80 79 91 
			 Brinsford 281 304 326 344 187 187 324 
			 Castington 363 312 384 361 360 385 433 
			 Cookham Wood 7 12 7 2 4 5 19 
			 Deerbolt 154 167 205 164 152 160 180 
			 Feltham 459 569 576 549 476 428 552 
			 Glen Parva 222 241 230 269 341 364 464 
			 Hindley 88 177 63 112 348 498 493 
			 Huntercombe 44 77 79 95 184 280 392 
			 Lancaster Farms 130 17 185 435 363 357 326 
			 Northallerton 80 82 84 104 82 100 99 
			 Portland 71 61 125 154 127 193 165 
			 Reading 7 23 25 76 57 45 25 
			 Rochester 32 51 102 78 100 75 143 
			 Stoke Heath 241 137 239 438 506 527 500 
			 Warren Hill  93 162 256 268 321 334 
			 Werrington 114 129 104 139 144 141 197 
			 Wetherby 41 175 414 492 403 353 389 
			 Total 2,807 2,924 3,635 4,646 4,807 5,151 5,734 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4: Prisoner on officer assault incidents by prison 
			  Establishment  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Acklington 2 3 3 5 7 9 9 
			 Albany 2 3   3   
			 Altcourse 45 43 40 44 36 50 43 
			 Ashfield 124 62 71 152 127 86 128 
			 Ashwell 1 1   4 2 3 
			 Aylesbury 12 15 5 15 18 13 27 
			 Bedford 17 13 10 14 27 12 13 
			 Belmarsh 82 52 43 34 22 22 14 
			 Birmingham 53 58 83 93 78 78 72 
			 Blakenhurst 10 25 51 44 31 35 12 
			 Blundeston 3 2 4 7 7 1 11 
			 Brinsford 24 31 26 17 8 12 17 
			 Bristol 51 25 45 28 41 14 34 
			 Brixton 73 48 64 49 37 36 31 
			 Brockhill 13 5 10 14 9 3 2 
			 Bronzefield   17 85 77 41 80 
			 Buckley Hall 12 36 16 23 10 11 9 
			 Bullingdon 24 23 14 15 22 21 21 
			 Bullwood Hall 1   8 6 2 5 
			 Camp Hill 8 12 8 12 5 5  
			 Canterbury 4 7 4 4 3 4 8 
			 Cardiff 14 11 15 19 14 3 4 
			 Castington 53 52 53 50 42 41 28 
			 Channings Wood 3 4 10 8 7 16 17 
			 Chelmsford 25 15 21 37 51 21 13 
			 Coldingley 2 7 3 
			 Cookham Wood 2 14 5 3 1 2 1 
			 Dartmoor 10 9 5 11 7 8 15 
			 Deerbolt 9 5 25 32 21 34 36 
			 Doncaster 30 25 22 24 45 28 16 
			 Dorchester 2 4 2 9 9 8 8 
			 Dovegate 29 46 75 34 55 41 15 
			 Dover  10 4 3 4 12 26 
			 Downview 10 6 7 29 9 11 6 
			 Drake Hall 1   1 1  1 
			 Durham 24 34 29 41 43 57 60 
			 East Sutton Park  1 1 
			 Eastwood Park 5 11 7 21 25 8 6 
			 Edmunds Hill  9 20 9 13 2 5 
			 Elmley 23 25 20 30 17 27 39 
			 Erlestoke   2 2 2 9 6 
			 Everthorpe 2 2 2 9 13 12 6 
			 Exeter 12 11 2 7 11 8 6 
			 Featherstone 17 8 18 5 9 16 7 
			 Feltham 83 102 169 129 115 103 89 
			 Ford 1 3 7 5 2 4 3 
			 Forest Bank 39 62 75 82 50 33 28 
			 Foston Hall 28 14 8 11 25 25 12 
			 Frankland 12 5 13 9 10 19 13 
			 Full Sutton 7 11 11 17 12 8 19 
			 Garth 8 10 5 6 8 8 11 
			 Gartree   1 2 3 1 3 
			 Glen Parva 41 27 39 31 40 50 38 
			 Gloucester 12 13 6 12 13 6 6 
			 Grendon / Spring Hill  1  
			 Guys Marsh 1 6 5 3 12 15 16 
			 Haslar   1 
			 Haverigg 2 6 2 1 4 17 10 
			 Hewell Cluster   9 
			 Hewell Grange2  1  
			 High Down 59 45 56 38 69 66 99 
			 Highpoint 46 20 18 13 22 20 25 
			 Hindley 25 23 13 30 55 41 50 
			 Hollesley Bay 18 4 3 
			 Holloway 88 88 93 78 99 90 95 
			 Holme House 13 20 18 27 24 20 14 
			 Hull 16 27 29 33 23 30 20 
			 Huntercombe 15 18 15 14 32 22 31 
			 Kingston 2 1  1 2   
			 Kirkham 1 2 1 
			 Kirklevington   2 
			 Lancaster 1  3 1 2 1 2 
			 Lancaster Farms 20 9 27 46 51 31 16 
			 Leeds 56 75 39 36 16 18 17 
			 Leicester 15 11 5 7 16 7 9 
			 Lewes 14 20 10 15 13 14 20 
			 Leyhill   1 1  3 1 
			 Lincoln 20 11 21 20 15 22 34 
			 Lindholme 5 18 5 12 13 19 22 
			 Littlehey 6 12 10 10 5 2 1 
			 Liverpool 37 45 35 21 18 30 34 
			 Long Lartin 7 5 5 15 11 15 9 
			 Low Newton 27 16 24 27 19 18 24 
			 Lowdham Grange 4 4 12 16 34 39 31 
			 Maidstone 2 6 5 1  5 3 
			 Manchester 53 58 59 69 65 77 69 
			 Moorland 22 21 13 20 16 14 21 
			 Morton Hall 4 1 3 2 5 1  
			 Mount 5 13 7 8 15 20 20 
			 New Hall 25 21 14 23 57 46 24 
			 North Sea Camp 1 21 1 
			 Northallerton 6 11 13 10 6 5 5 
			 Norwich 24 24 17 18 17 1 3 
			 Nottingham 12 15 28 12 22 43 27 
			 Onley 68 86 13 27 29 23 12 
			 Pare 27 55 57 44 48 48 53 
			 Parkhurst 9 18 16 14 2 7  
			 Pentonville 113 90 94 120 59 61 86 
			 Peterborough72 134 111 75 
			 Portland 22 15 39 37 41 37 24 
			 Preston 10 9 17 24 29 44 47 
			 Ranby 9 8 3 3 16 16 26 
			 Reading 6 7 16 14 11 9 11 
			 Risley 15 18 26 32 28 23 21 
			 Rochester 5 15 16 23 13 4 29 
			 Rye Hill 18 20 38 65 47 41 14 
			 Send 2 4  2 3 1 4 
			 Shepton Mallet 2 11 1 
			 Shrewsbury 3 11 3 3 6 5 4 
			 Stafford 8 10 6 13 11 8 9 
			 Standford Hill 1 1 1 
			 Stocken 10 9 8 12 7 9 15 
			 Stoke Heath 47 20 37 52 63 65 53 
			 Styal 4 7 12 13 32 45 18 
			 Sudbury  2   1   
			 Swaleside 29 17 16 7 10 5 7 
			 Swansea 5 6 4 3 5  3 
			 Swinfen Hall 7 8 4 10 9 9 10 
			 Thorn Cross 1 3 1 1 3 1 1 
			 Usk/Prescoed 1 1 2 
			 Verne 1 1 5 3   1 
			 Wakefield 7 7 7 9 8 12 12 
			 Wandsworth 79 73 84 86 36 31 36 
			 Warren Hill  12 19 34 35 46 43 
			 Wayland 7 11 8 2 9 10 18 
			 Wealstun  2  3 3 6 12 
			 Weare 9 10 6 4
			 Wellingborough 1 1 1 16 13 5 13 
			 Werrington 5 21 18 19 20 12 30 
			 Wetherby 9 11 70 66 56 35 39 
			 Whatton  1 1  4 11 5 
			 Whitemoor 22 15 16 18 10 22 18 
			 Winchester 13 13 13 10 10 3 3 
			 Wolds 12 7 10 3 8 2 7 
			 Woodhill 16 35 39 71 68 52 39 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 54 37 69 57 54 69 62 
			 Wymott  1  4 4 4 9 
			 Total 2,370 2,366 2,593 2,977 2,962 2,737 2,724 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 5: Prison er  on officer assault incidents in female prisons 
			  Establishment  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Bronzefield   17 85 77 41 80 
			 Downview 10 6 7 29 9 11 6 
			 Drake Hall 1   1 1  1 
			 East Sutton Park  1 1 
			 Eastwood Park 5 11 7 21 25 8 6 
			 Foston Hall 28 14 8 11 25 25 12 
			 Holloway 88 88 93 78 99 90 95 
			 Low Newton 27 16 24 27 19 18 24 
			 Morton Hall 4 1 3 2 5 1  
			 New Hall 25 21 14 23 57 46 24 
			 Send 2 4  2 3 1 4 
			 Styal 4 7 12 13 32 45 18 
			 Total 194 169 169 207 275 245 190 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 6: Prison er  on officer assault incidents in young offender institutions 
			  Establishment  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Ashfield 124 62 71 152 127 86 128 
			 Aylesbury 12 15 5 15 18 13 27 
			 Brinsford 24 31 26 17 8 12 17 
			 Castington 53 52 53 50 42 41 28 
			 Cookham Wood 2 14 5 3 1 2 1 
			 Deerbolt 9 5 25 32 21 34 36 
			 Feltham 83 102 169 129 115 103 89 
			 Glen Parva 41 27 39 31 40 50 38 
			 Hindley 25 23 13 30 55 41 50 
			 Huntercombe 15 18 15 14 32 22 31 
			 Lancaster Farms 20 9 27 46 51 31 16 
			 Northallerton 6 11 13 10 6 5 5 
			 Portland 22 15 39 37 41 37 24 
			 Reading 6 7 16 14 11 9 11 
			 Rochester 5 15 16 23 13 4 29 
			 Stoke Heath 47 20 37 52 63 65 53 
			 Thorn Cross 1 3 1 1 3 1 1 
			 Warren Hill  12 19 34 35 46 43 
			 Werrington 5 21 18 19 20 12 30 
			 Wetherby 9 11 70 66 56 35 39 
			 Total 509 473 677 775 758 649 696 
			 (1) Notes to assault incident tables :  1. Recent assaults data from prisons using the new NOMIS computer system (Albany, Camp Hill and Parkhurst) are excluded.  2.  indicates that there have either been no assaults in that period or that the data are not available or applicable for that period (for example, if the prison has been using a different reporting system or has re-roled). Those prisons affected by re-roling are listed in the following table.  3. Assault risk is unevenly distributed around the prison estate and changes over time. The following list contains the major changes such as prisons opening, closing and re-roling etc. which affect assault figures. These need to be taken into account when interpreting changes from one year to the next. 
		
	
	
		
			  Prison  Year  Change 
			 Blakenhurst 2008 Merged to form HMP Hewell 
			 Hewell Grange 2008 Merged to form HMP Hewell 
			 Brockhill 2008 Merged to form HMP Hewell 
			 Cookham Wood 2008 Female to Under 18 Male 
			 Kennet 2007 First opened 
			 Brockhill 2006 Female to Male 
			 Bulwood Hall 2006 Female to Male 
			 Peterborough 2005 First opened 
			 Durham 2005 Female wing closed 
			 Onley 2005 YOI to YOI+Cat C 
			 Swinfen Hall 2005 YOI to YOI+Cat C 
			 Weare 2005 Closed 
			 Buckley Hall 2005 Female to Male 
			 Edmunds Hill 2005 Female to Male 
			 Winchester 2004 Female wing closed 
			 Bronzefield 2004 First opened 
			 Edmunds Hill 2003 First opened 
			 Warren Hill 2003 First opened 
			 Buckley Hall 2002 Male to Female 
			 Rochester 2002 Adult + YOI to YOI 
			 Downview 2002 Male to Female

Prisons: Finance

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what budget savings are planned in each  (a) prison and  (b) young offender institution over the next 12 months.

David Hanson: The total planned savings requirement for 2009-10 from prisons and young offender institutions is 64.2 million, 3.4 per cent. of budget. These savings have not yet been allocated to prisons and are held at area level.

Victims of Crime

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether victims of crime  (a) are informed and  (b) have their consent requested before their details are passed to private sector firms undertaking research for his Department on levels of confidence in the criminal justice system.

Maria Eagle: There are two key Government surveys that interview victims of crime about their satisfaction with and confidence in the criminal justice system (CJS).
	The Home Office conducts the British crime survey (BCS) which looks at, among other things, the effectiveness and fairness of the CJS as viewed by the public, some of whom are victims.
	The BCS is a general population sample in which addresses are randomly selected from the Post Office Address File by the survey contractor. Other than the postal address, no information about the selected household is held by the contractor prior to being approached to obtain permission for them to take part in the survey.
	The Office for Criminal Justice Reform on behalf of the Ministry of Justice manage the Witness and Victim Satisfaction Survey (WAVES) which is a national survey designed to measure how satisfied victims and witnesses are with the service they get from the criminal justice system (CJS).
	It is permitted to share limited details without consent under the provisions of section 33 of the Data Protection Act 1998, which allows certain data to be shared for research purposes, so long as certain conditions are in place. In order to obtain a large representative sample of victims and witnesses, consent is not obtained at the initial stage; however, very strict protocols are in place to ensure that these conditions are met.
	The current contractor writes to all victims and witnesses identified by local criminal justice boards and selected to participate before the telephone call, giving them the option to opt out of the survey, in compliance with data protection guidelines. This gives victims and witnesses the opportunity to opt out at the first point of contact.
	On calling those respondents who have not opted out, interviewers restate the purpose of the survey; to improve services to victims and witnesses in the future. Respondents are then assured that their responses will remain confidential and again asked if they are happy to participate. Reassurance is given at every stage of the interview process that responses given will remain anonymous.
	The organisations undertaking both surveys are acting on behalf of the criminal justice system in order to help assess progress made at a local and national level against key CJS initiatives and to improve the future experiences of victims and witnesses. Both surveys have stringent measures in place to ensure individuals' anonymity is maintained and responses remain confidential. Respondents are given the opportunity to opt out at point of first contact with the research organisations.

Wymott Prison

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for how long the absent governor of HM Prison Wymott has been on sick leave; how long the prison has been operating on a two governor basis; and how long he expects this arrangement to continue.

David Hanson: It is not service policy to comment on individual members of staff.
	The previous Governor stepped down from the post in December 2008 and was replaced shortly thereafter by the present incumbent. The establishment has at no time operated on a 'two Governor basis'.

Wymott Prison

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the three latest roof-top protest incidents at HM Prison Wymott  (a) involved the same prisoners and  (b) took place in the same part of the prison.

David Hanson: The seven prisoners involved in the three incidents were seven different individuals. The incidents all took place in the same part of the prison and new measures are in place to further restrict access to this roof.

Prisoners: Self-harm

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many incidents of self-harm by  (a) male and  (b) female prisoners held in each young offenders' institution were recorded in each year since 2003;
	(2)  how many incidents of self-harm by  (a) male and  (b) female prisoners in each prison establishment were recorded in each year since 2003.

David Hanson: The National Offender Management Service has a broad, integrated and evidence-based prisoner suicide prevention and self harm management strategy that seeks to reduce the distress of all those in prison. This encompasses a wide spectrum of prison and Department of Health work around such issues as mental health, substance misuse and resettlement. Any prisoner identified as at risk of suicide or self-harm is cared for using the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) procedures. Most self harm is not directly life threatening, but nevertheless can be extremely distressing for those who have to deal with it. A prisoner focused care planning system for those at risk, ACCT, (Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork), has helped prisons manage self harm. There are no easy answers to managing self harming behaviour but we remain committed to finding ways to improve further our management of it.
	The information is set out as follows. The NOMS Incident Reporting System processes high volumes of data which are constantly being updated. The figures provide a good indication of overall numbers of incidents but should not be interpreted as absolute.
	The instances of recorded self-harm by male prisoners, including young offenders (YOs) aged under 21, is summarised in table 1. Those incidents in current single-function young offender institutions (YOIs) are detailed in the notes of table 2.
	
		
			  Table 1: Self harm incidents by establishment (male) 
			  Prison  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Belmarsh 75 123 90 76 88 83 
			 Manchester 284 208 219 200 206 153 
			 Woodhill 28 40 121 128 176 165 
			 Albany 51 73 25 6 (1) (1) 
			 Dovegate 151 79 126 197 150 126 
			 Garth 12 51 51 51 43 58 
			 Gartree 9 1 5 12 43 19 
			 Grendon/Spring Hill 10 2 (1) 1 1 3 
			 Kingston (1) 6 12 10 14 6 
			 Lowdham Grange 4 16 15 29 40 70 
			 Maidstone 9 11 20 10 15 13 
			 Parkhurst 170 139 82 158 79 (1) 
			 Rye Hill 32 68 139 50 71 72 
			 Swaleside 11 18 8 26 83 59 
			 Acklington 20 40 75 97 45 112 
			 Blundeston 17 19 11 16 14 17 
			 Buckley Hall (1) (1) (1) 43 23 24 
			 Bullwood Hall (1) (1) (1) 15 6 7 
			 Edmunds Hill (1) (1) 11 17 22 21 
			 Kennet (1) (1) (1) (1) 1 2 
			 Wolds 10 6 6 16 19 19 
			 Ashwell (1) 6 9 (1) 14 9 
			 Camp Hill 58 22 28 15 20 (1) 
			 Channings Wood 9 6 18 44 23 34 
			 Coldingley (1) (1) (1) 1 3 2 
			 Dartmoor 23 21 33 52 36 29 
			 Erlestoke 3 (1) 4 5 18 45 
			 Everthorpe 1 (1) 7 21 42 42 
			 Featherstone 32 18 11 27 33 41 
			 Guys Marsh 32 16 6 30 60 64 
			 Haverigg 4 3 11 5 35 44 
			 Highpoint 41 33 30 67 60 114 
			 Lancaster (1) (1) 4 6 7 (1) 
			 Littlehey 46 108 123 158 105 78 
			 Moorland 104 1 3 8 12 11 
			 Mount 5 6 24 22 28 20 
			 Ranby 8 4 8 27 39 68 
			 Risley 18 20 45 36 33 32 
			 Shepton Mallet 1 2 (1) 1 2 1 
			 Stafford 39 61 82 66 97 71 
			 Stocken 26 11 35 25 37 (1) 
			 Usk/Prescoed (1) (1) 1 (1) 3 2 
			 Verne 9 3 7 4 (1) 3 
			 Wayland 9 24 42 55 32 59 
			 Wealstun 14 9 34 30 34 35 
			 Weare 18 23 8 (1) (1) (1) 
			 Wellingborough 19 14 2 27 18 49 
			 Whatton 1 4 (1) 2 17 31 
			 Wymott (1) 4 47 61 63 59 
			 Low Newton 6 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) 
			 Frankland 31 95 165 217 339 429 
			 Full Sutton 49 53 133 56 55 76 
			 Long Lartin 2 4 11 11 89 127 
			 Wakefield 44 85 126 176 114 93 
			 Whitemoor 60 75 136 122 80 37 
			 Dover 41 39 34 55 41 43 
			 Haslar 4 3 2 4 2 7 
			 Lindholme 9 7 18 36 57 59 
			 Altcourse 165 160 111 219 210 245 
			 Bedford 116 114 107 146 157 132 
			 Birmingham 83 81 207 604 528 447 
			 Blakenhurst 430 316 151 177 211 64 
			 Bristol 95 156 185 102 147 147 
			 Brixton 67 68 85 19 33 27 
			 Bullingdon 18 21 39 25 69 112 
			 Canterbury 2 12 10 10 5 15 
			 Cardiff 54 99 73 96 25 14 
			 Chelmsford 29 61 96 136 131 111 
			 Doncaster 317 369 336 276 268 405 
			 Dorchester 27 36 25 48 53 67 
			 Durham 201 165 268 220 206 193 
			 Elmley 22 82 139 92 96 102 
			 Exeter 31 65 107 84 56 117 
			 Forest Bank 214 257 197 333 317 257 
			 Gloucester 97 83 110 83 88 95 
			 Hewell Cluster (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) 83 
			 High Down 54 187 117 205 154 136 
			 Holme House 40 74 63 102 81 78 
			 Hull 143 176 199 110 107 115 
			 Leeds 310 388 223 148 147 92 
			 Leicester 122 143 136 170 153 84 
			 Lewes 128 182 134 123 78 120 
			 Lincoln 113 160 134 165 215 182 
			 Liverpool 370 331 270 178 131 243 
			 Norwich 213 264 234 338 204 202 
			 Nottingham 174 136 91 160 194 210 
			 Parc 327 235 314 250 152 229 
			 Pentonville 159 72 204 243 169 179 
			 Preston 41 36 105 222 239 223 
			 Shrewsbury 36 67 59 57 81 51 
			 Swansea 45 28 61 57 34 82 
			 Wandsworth 54 194 55 61 141 117 
			 Winchester 171 210 149 136 52 104 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 57 124 50 128 119 123 
			 Onley 194 87 88 102 157 146 
			 Swinfen Hall 26 74 51 81 124 127 
			 Hollesley Bay 5 (1) (1) 2 1 6 
			 Moorland Open (Hatfield) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) 1 
			 Ford 5 6 (1) 5 3 (1) 
			 Kirkham 1 1 (1) 2 (1) 1 
			 Leyhill (1) 1 2 5 4 3 
			 North Sea Camp 1 (1) 1 (1) 1 2 
			 Standford Hill 1 (1) 2 (1) (1) 1 
			 Sudbury (1) (1) (1) 1 (1) (1) 
			 Peterborough (1) (1) 121 199 200 273 
			 Latchmere House (1) (1) (1) (1) 1 (1) 
			 Brinsford 66 23 71 102 83 85 
			 Castington 87 83 92 104 64 62 
			 Feltham 100 159 141 126 219 203 
			 Hindley 77 36 160 71 41 81 
			 Lancaster Farms 23. 15 92 153 21 5 
			 Stoke Heath 75 230 192 217 226 321 
			 Rochester 9 52 15 46 47 84 
			 Northallerton 27 59 14 35 30 27 
			 Aylesbury 18 14 113 307 201 210 
			 Deerbolt 68 59 100 106 86 122 
			 Glen Parva 197 217 232 148 247 231 
			 Portland 55 115 109 160 170 76 
			 Reading 21 24 52 37 34 23 
			 Ashfield 236 217 165 209 130 92 
			 Cookham Wood (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) 9 
			 Warren Hill 8 20 13 15 12 75 
			 Huntercombe 28 36 64 61 79 79 
			 Werrington 2 10 25 20 11 52 
			 Wetherby (1) (1) 59 34 10 23 
			 Thorn Cross 1 3 1 2 3 (1) 
		
	
	Table two details the instances of recorded self-harm by females, including young offenders (YOs) aged under-21. Female YOs are not held in stand-alone female YOIs. Rather they are held within the adult female prison population.
	
		
			  Table 2: Self harm incidents by establishment (female) 
			  Prison  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Askham Grange 1 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) 
			 Brockhill* 623 475 261 219 (1) (1) 
			 Bronzefield (1) 205 827 1,165 1,744 1,517 
			 Buckley Hall* 758 1,079 596 (1) (1) (1) 
			 Bullwood Hall* 282 1,008 1,418 227 (1) (1) 
			 Cookham Wood* 72 162 197 126 182 (1) 
			 Downview 130 70 258 233 21 8 
			 Drake Hall 8 7 28 17 41 42 
			 Durham* 282 231 54 (1) (1) (1) 
			 Eastwood Park 683 1,139 2,441 2,074 1,965 2,584 
			 Edmunds Hill* 156 209 (1) (1) (1) (1) 
			 Foston Hall 24 120 616 608 1,160 919 
			 Holloway 957 1,179 1,396 1,470 1,099 1,829 
			 Low Newton 373 719 1,118 736 970 829 
			 Morton Hall 60 19 29 67 50 77 
			 New Hall 1,588 1,116 1,053 1,261 1,193 1,082 
			 Peterborough   800 1,126 1,041 1,337 
			 Send 54 75 97 177 158 233 
			 Styal 368 1,050 1,388 1,574 1,235 2,103 
			 Winchester* 18 8 (1) (1) (1) (1) 
			 (1) Indicates that there have either been no self harm incidents in that period or that the data are not available or applicable for that period (for example, if the prison has been using a different reporting system or has re-roled). Those prisons affected by re-roling are listed in the following table.  Notes: 1. Figures refer to total numbers of self harm incidents and not numbers of individual prisoners. 2. Self harm incidents are as reported on the NOMS Incident Reporting System. Figures exclude recent numbers for C-NOMIS sites Albany, Camp Hill and Parkhurst. 3. Self harm risk is unevenly distributed around the prison estate and changes over time. The following list contains the major changes such as prisons opening, closing and re-rolling etc. which affect self harm figures. These need to be taken into account when interpreting changes from one year to the next. 
		
	
	
		
			   Prison  Change 
			 2008 Blakenhurst Merged to form HMP Hewell 
			 2008 Hewell Grange Merged to form HMP Hewell 
			 2008 Brockhill Merged to form HMP Hewell 
			 2008 Cookham Wood Female to under 18 Male 
			 2007 Kennet First opened 
			 2006 Brockhill Female to Male 
			 2006 Bulwood Hall Female to Male 
			 2005 Peterborough First opened 
			 2005 Durham Female wing closed 
			 2005 Onley YOI to YOI+Cat C 
			 2005 Swinfen Hall YOI to YOI+Cat C 
			 2005 Weare Closed 
			 2005 Buckley Hall Female to Male 
			 2005 Edmunds Hill Female to Male 
			 2004 Winchester Female wing closed 
			 2004 Bronzefield First opened 
			 2003 Edmunds Hill First opened

Young Offenders: Reoffenders

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of  (a) people and  (b) women aged from 18 to 24 years old who received a criminal conviction in the last 12 months had previously been convicted of one or more criminal offences when under the age of 18.

David Hanson: Data held by the Ministry of Justice show that, of the 128,000 offenders aged between 18 and 24 who were sentenced by courts in England and Wales in 2007 and whose sentence was recorded on the police national computer, 40 per cent. (51,000) had previously been convicted under the age of 18. The equivalent figure for female offenders is 29 per cent. (4,600 out of a total of 15,900 offenders).
	These figures have been drawn from the police's administrative IT system which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.
	Overall the number of adult reoffences has fallen 23 per cent. between 2000 and 2006, and in particular there has been a reduction of 13 per cent. between 2005 and 2006. The number of reoffences classified as serious fell by 11.1 per cent. from 2000 to 2006.
	The number of young people entering the criminal justice system for the first time is falling. The number in England fell from 103,955 in 2006-07, to 93,601 in 2007-08, a drop of 10 per cent.
	The rate of reoffences committed fell by 1.5 per cent. from 125.0 offences per 100 offenders in 2005 to 123.1 in 2006. The rate of reoffences classified as serious fell by 8.0 per cent. from 0.90 serious offences per 100 offenders in 2005 to 0.83 in 2006.

Young Offenders: Restraint Techniques

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many incidents involving the use of restraint by staff occurred in each young offender institution and secure training centre in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years.

David Hanson: Restraint is only ever to be used by staff as a last resort, when all other approaches have either not succeeded or would not be appropriate.
	The independent Review of Restraint in Juvenile Secure Settings, which was published together with the Government's response on 15 December 2008, made important recommendations about improving practice and making sure restraint is used as sparingly as possible. The Government and the Youth Justice Board are working together to implement those recommendations.
	The following table sets out the number of recorded restrictive physical interventions (RPIs) on young people under the age of 18 in secure training centres and young offender institutions from 1 April 2007 to 31 December 2008. The Youth Justice Board has been collecting data against common definitions from April 2007. Comparable data are not available for earlier periods.
	It is not possible to provide information on the number of recorded RPIs for 18 to 21-year-olds in young offender institutions as this is not held centrally in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			   Operational capacity at  9 January 2009  April 2007 to March 2008  April 2008 to December 2008 
			  Secure training centres
			 Hassockfield 64 519 377 
			 Medway 76 869 289 
			 Oakhill 80 1,012 260 
			 Rainsbrook 87 373 288 
			 
			  Young offender institutions
			 Ashfield 400 431 446 
			 Brinsford 112 161 82 
			 Castington 168 187 172 
			 Cookham Wood 110 17 16 
			 Downview 16 29 37 
			 Eastwood Park 16 28 19 
			 Feltham 240 379 337 
			 Foston Hall 16 54 30 
			 Hindley 192 337 284 
			 Huntercombe 360 404 369 
			 Lancaster Farms 240 299 208 
			 New Hall 26 60 84 
			 Parc 64 65 97 
			 Stoke Heath 202 145 118 
			 Thorn Cross(1) n/a 0 n/a 
			 Warren Hill 222 212 249 
			 Werrington 160 297 295 
			 Wetherby 402 377 268 
			 (1) The YJB stopped placing under 18s at HM YOI Thorn Cross from 1 April 2008  Source: Data have been taken from YJB administrative computer systems 
		
	
	Among the recommendations referred to above, the review proposed an examination of the basis for the relatively low level of use of force per young person reported in YOIs.